


Kubfu and the Strike of Rapids

by TheCartoonFanatic01



Series: Training Harder [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Partial Adaptation of the Crown Tundra DLC, Partial Adaptation of the Isle of Armor DLC, Rarepair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24854911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCartoonFanatic01/pseuds/TheCartoonFanatic01
Summary: Sequel to "Training Harder"! Ash and Bea travel to Galar's Isle of Armor to attend the world-famous Fighting Festival. However, an ordinary time at the festival turns into an extraordinary adventure when they come across Kubfu, a Pokémon linked to the Isle's legends, and become embroiled in an evil scheme that threatens the Isle's future. Semi-AU, Ash/Bea! R&R!
Relationships: Saitou | Bea/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Series: Training Harder [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798132
Comments: 26
Kudos: 30





	1. Prologue: Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Welcome to the sequel of "Training Harder"! Rejoice, for you're about to be treated with a lot more Ash/Bea moments!
> 
> To be perfectly honest, this whole thing was such an unexpected development for me. I legitimately didn't think a fic like "Training Harder", revolving around one of the most obscure nevermet pairings one could find in the "Pokémon" fandom, would get really, REALLY popular overnight. I only wrote it because of my own love for Bea and her character, as well as my lasting interest in Ash Ketchum's character arc after all these years. But it is truly amazing to see how many people were drawn to this kind of shipping. I'm not sure what it was that fueled my fanfic's popularity in the first place. Maybe it was the novelty, maybe it was because people had been hoping to see Bea animated in the main series only to have their hopes dashed, I don't know.
> 
> Either way, I'm truly grateful for everyone who reviewed "Training Harder" and gave me their undying support for what I was doing. As a way of showing my gratitude, I hereby present to you all this full-length sequel to "Training Harder"! It'll be about 15-20 chapters long, and I'm not going to try and beat around the bush for this one. It will be a straightforward kind of story, devoid of being chock-full with many subplots like I tend to do with my other fics. And without a doubt, the Ash/Bea moments will be plentiful. :D :D :D
> 
> Alright, enough with the introductions! On with the chapter. ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
> -Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
> -Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
> -Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
> -Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
> -Not sharing food and drinks with others  
> -Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
> -Avoiding close contact with others  
> -Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
> -Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
> -Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

_The Dark Titans._

_Three Pokémon hailing from an alternate world, a world very much like ours, only full of evil, hatred, and darkness. Long ago, these Dark Titans entered our world through an inter-dimensional rift, a once-in-a-lifetime event that tore through the fabric of space and time, and they landed on the Isle of Armor in Galar. Initially, these Dark Titans were revered like gods due to their striking resemblance to the Titans of Kanto._

_But what was once awe and worship quickly turned into horror and misery. Before long, the Dark Titans laid waste to the Isle's lands, motivated by nothing but their insatiable lust for suffering and death. The true Titans sensed the unnatural disaster and flew over to the Isle to intervene, but the Dark Titans proved to be much more powerful and cunning than them. The Titans of Kanto fell one by one, and it seemed as if all hope was lost in the Isle and across all of Galar._

_Then, they arrived._

_Urshifu and the Hero. A Pokémon and a human, members of the Galar Karateka, the ancient, noble peacekeepers of the lands. Using their exceptional mastery of Galar Karate, the fighting style of the Karateka, Urshifu and the Hero saved the Titans of Kanto from certain death and defeated the Dark Titans. Following their defeat, the Dark Titans transformed into three spheres, which were then sealed away by the Hero for all of eternity._

_But, in spite of this victory, Urshifu and the Hero knew it was only a matter of time before the Dark Titans would recover from their wounds and rise again in another bid for worldwide annihilation. As such, they began teaching Urshifu's child, Kubfu, the ways of Galar Karate, even the most mystical and antiquated techniques, until it evolved into another Urshifu. Upon doing so, it took the place of its parent and began teaching its Kubfu child everything it learned, until it too evolved into an Urshifu._

_And so, the process continued for many millennia, and many generations, even after the Galar Karateka had become all but extinct and irrelevant, and modernization began to encroach on society. Rumors have it that, to this very day, there is an Urshifu teaching a Kubfu the ways of Galar Karate somewhere on the Isle of Armor, in preparation for the inevitable moment when the Dark Titans would rise again, ready to plunge the lands back into a period of terrible darkness._

* * *

With that, the regally-dressed, noble-looking man averted his gaze from the stone tablet and looked out of the gigantic, circular window before him, his lips slowly curling into a chilling sneer.

"Now it... _begins_."

Just then, a door burst open, and a dark-skinned woman with flowing, black-and-magenta-dyed hair burst into the room, accompanied by an Obstagoon.

"Lord Cromwell!" she cried.

"Hmm?" The man turned around, revealing his silvery, combed-back hair and blue eyes. "Yes, Mollie? What seems to be the problem?"

"We've got another emergency down at the holding cell." The woman narrowed her icy-blue eyes. "It's her again."

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes narrowed ominously.

"Take me to her."

* * *

**" _RRRRRAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH_!"**

The large, bearlike Pokémon slammed itself into the bars for the umpteenth time, only to be violently knocked backward by a great jolt of blue electricity. The strange Pokémon roared, feeling the electricity coursing through its body, leaving a myriad of scorch marks on its dark-gray and white-and-black, karategi-like fur. It twitched and convulsed, trying its best to endure the unspeakable pain.

Finally, after about a minute, the bolts of electricity subsided, and the Pokémon's body was relieved of its agony, instead being substituted with an immense, widespread ache. The Pokémon struggled to stand up, and as it did, it heard a set of footsteps approaching.

With an aggressive growl, the Pokémon feebly looked up and saw a large, muscular man approaching its cage. This man had spiky, deep-orange hair with black, lightning-shaped marks dyed into the sides, along with piercing yellow eyes and tanned, gleaming skin. Waddling by his side was a Grapploct, its dark eyes narrowed menacingly while it flexed its blue, tentacle-like arms.

"Ya sure don't know when to give up, don't ya?" the man asked in a gruff voice. Then, he raised his fists and used them to crack his knuckles. "Unfortunately for you, yer legends don't scare me, _Urshifu_. I'd _gladly_ take any challenger on."

Urshifu bared its jagged teeth at the man, just as a tough, feminine voice abruptly filled the air.

_**"Foolish human. You claim not to be terrified of me, yet you confront me while I am your prisoner? You're a coward and a hypocrite."** _

_**"No, not a coward,"**_ another voice replied, echoing through the chamber. _**"Nor a hypocrite."**_

Growling, Urshifu looked over the muscular man's shoulder and saw a balcony that was overlooking the entire scene. The Pokémon could see Lord Cromwell sneering down upon her from there, while Mollie and her Obstagoon flanked him. The man leaned forward to speak into the microphone in front of him.

 _ **"Just being** **smart and biding his time."**_ Then, Cromwell made a soft wave with his arm. _**"Stand down, Zeke."**_

The muscular man nodded loyally and stepped aside, with Grapploct mirroring his movements. As soon as he cleared the way, Cromwell spoke into the microphone again.

_**"Bring our dear guest out, Arin."** _

The door to the chamber automatically slid open, and Urshifu let out a horrified gasp. Entering the room was a man with violet hair, which covered one icy-blue eye, and pale skin. This newcomer was shorter and weaker in stature compared to his compatriots, but he made up for that with his cold, heartless stare and the devious, calculating aura that was hanging over him. This aura was certainly accentuated by the Hatterene strutting beside him.

But that wasn't the source of Urshifu's concern. What the warrior Pokémon was most concerned about was the object the Hatterene was carrying with her Psychic.

It was a smaller Pokémon that resembled a bear cub, with gray fur and large tufts of white fur on the top of its head and its chest. It also had small black paws and two white hairs shaped like band ribbons trailing from the back of its head. Its beady eyes were filled with determination and defiance as it tried to struggle against the Psychic hold over it, but with no success at all.

 _ **"Kubfu..."**_ Urshifu whispered.

 _ **"I understand this Kubfu is your responsibility, Urshifu,"**_ Cromwell said with a sneer. _**"If so, then I believe you should know what happens if you choose to be...**_ **disrespectful** _ **to your hosts. Arin?"**_

The cold-looking, violet-haired man snapped his fingers. In response, his Hatterene flicked her wrist, and Kubfu suddenly twitched and convulsed.

 **" _RRRRRAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH_!"** it screamed.

 _**"** _ **NO _!"_**

Urshifu shot up to its feet and tried to break through the bars of its cage once again, only to be knocked back by another jolt of electricity. As soon as it recovered, Urshifu marched as close to the bars as possible and growled at Cromwell.

 _ **"You cowardly evildoer!"**_ it growled. _**"Kubfu has nothing to do with this! Let him go!"**_

 ** _"Nothing to do with this, you say?"_** asked Cromwell. _**"Why, on the contrary, my dear Urshifu, your student has**_ **everything** _ **to do with this. As the inheritor to your lineage and your legacy, I'd say Kubfu has a role to play in this little tale of ours, just like any other Kubfu. Don't you think?"**_

Urshifu growled savagely at Cromwell before refocusing on Kubfu. The smaller bearlike Pokémon continued to cry in pain and struggle hopelessly against its captor's Psychic hold, bringing one pang of horror and guilt after another to Urshifu's normally bold, uncompromising heart. There was absolutely no strategy for Urshifu to exploit, no scenario in which they would escape from this unpunished and unscathed. Unable to watch Kubfu suffer anymore, Urshifu screwed its eyes shut and lowered its head with defeat.

_**"Alright, ALRIGHT! I...I yield..."** _

Cromwell smiled triumphantly. _**"Good."**_

Upon hearing Urshifu's admission of defeat, Arin snapped his fingers again, whereupon Hatterene relaxed her hold upon Kubfu, relieving it of its pain. With a pained groan, the smaller bearlike Pokémon groggily raised its head to face Urshifu.

 _ **"Ma...**_ **Master** _ **..."**_ it said telepathically. _**"I'm...I'm sorry... I...I failed you-"**_

It was disheartened when Urshifu looked away from it. That same motion earned a disapproving tut from Cromwell.

 _ **"My, my..."**_ he remarked. _**"How**_ **cold _of you, Urshifu. Then again, I suppose you're one of_ those _teachers."_** The man pursed his lips as he surveyed Urshifu and Kubfu in turn. _**"Either way, Urshifu, now you know what happens if and when you decide to be unruly while under our hospitality. Arin, be kind and show our dear Kubfu back to its room."**_

Arin simply nodded and walked out of the room without saying a word. Hatterene turned around and followed her Trainer out, with Kubfu turning around as well at her command and levitating beside her. Though Kubfu's eyes were no longer on Urshifu, Urshifu knew from the bottom of its heart that Kubfu was feeling utterly humiliated and defeated.

Once the three were gone, Zeke and his Grapploct rounded on the bars separating them from Urshifu.

"Hopefully ya got the message," the burly man snarled. " _But_ , in case you didn't, just know that Grapploct and I'll be here to teach you your place."

Grapploct flexed its tentacles again in a show of power and dominance. Urshifu narrowed its eyes at the Jujitsu Pokémon before focusing its pupils upon Cromwell, Mollie, and Obstagoon, all of whom were still peering down at it from the safety of the balcony. There was a malevolent grin curling upon Cromwell's facial features.

But with Kubfu in their grasp, and no conceivable way of freeing itself and saving its student, Urshifu could do absolutely nothing but bow its head with defeat. It didn't want to, but it did. Once it did, it heard Cromwell's smug voice address it.

_**"Now that's a good girl."** _

Urshifu's claws clenched into ominous fists, and it bared its fanged teeth in hate and outrage.

* * *

Once Urshifu submitted to her captors, Lord Cromwell turned around with a swish of his dark cloak and left the balcony, followed by Mollie and her Obstagoon. They walked across a hallway and reentered the room Cromwell had been inside a couple of minutes earlier, a spacious chamber filled with a myriad of historical artifacts, all of them encased in glass like museum exhibits. However, they disregarded them and instead walked over to the far end of the room, which boasted a gigantic, circular window and a smaller case containing a single stone tablet.

"Now that _that's_ out of the way," Cromwell said, looking down at the tablet, "it's almost time for my destiny to begin. Do we have a location on the Dark Fire Sphere?"

Mollie cleared her throat and procured the tablet computer that had been tucked underneath her arm. Once she turned it on and navigated herself to the appropriate screen, she nodded.

"Yes, Lord Cromwell," she said. "Arin's analysis of the Isle's legends have allowed us to narrow down the most probable locations of the Dark Fire Sphere, of which one makes the most sense: Vambrace Cave."

"Vambrace Cave. Surrounded by rocks on all sides, with the threat of collapse should there be a...premature awakening. Wisely chosen, indeed."

Cromwell maintained his gaze on the ancient stone tablet, which bore archaic writing that few could ever translate. But a triumphant slashing motion of his arm was all the confirmation that Mollie needed to see.

"Now go, Mollie. Your time has come for you to prove your worth to history. Venture into the cave and find the Dark Fire Sphere. As soon as you do, well...you already know the rest."

Mollie knelt on one knee and bowed her head before Cromwell, as did her Obstagoon.

"It will be done, my Lord," she said, while Obstagoon huffed in agreement.

* * *

The total, overwhelming darkness of Vambrace Cave was pierced by the beam of bright light coming from Mollie's head-mounted flashlight. Flanked by her trusty Obstagoon and a pair of menacing Galarian Linoone, while followed by a horde of Galarian Zigzagoon, the dark-haired woman passed dripping stalactite after dripping stalactite, moist stalagmite after moist stalagmite, while looking down at a small, handheld tracking monitor.

The device was beeping, shattering the relative silence of the cave and earning the annoyed squeaks and uncomfortable shuffling of the bat Pokémon that Mollie knew were hanging above her. As she continued onward and onward through the darkness, the frequency of the beeping sped up more and more, indicating her impending arrival at the desired location.

Just then, a crackling electronic voice filled the air. _**"Mollie, d'you read me? Are ya almost at the location? Over."**_

With an irritated huff, Mollie pressed a button on the walkie-talkie mounted on the left strap of her backpack.

"Yes, Zeke," she replied in a hushed whisper. "I am almost there. And keep it down, will ya? This cave was designated as off-limits for a reason, you know! Over."

_**"My bad. I just can't wait for this party to get started, you know what I mean?! Over."** _

Mollie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, be careful what you wish for. They aren't called the Dark Titans just for show. Over."

_**"Yeah, yeah, I know, I read the legends too. But as long as Lord Cromwell has Urshifu on his side, then they can kick some birdbrained-"** _

"Shut it, Zeke!" Mollie suddenly snapped, just as her monitor started beeping rapidly. She raised the device higher in the air, and the beeping sped up even more. "I'm picking up a really high Dark Aura signature nearby. It has to be the Dark Fire Sphere! I'll get back to you. Over and out!"

_**"Y-Yeah, alright Class, b-but h-?"** _

Mollie turned off the walkie-talkie just as a pained screeching tore through the air. The woman and her Pokémon ducked, just as a flock of Zubat and Golbat soared over them, finally startled by the beeping noise. Once the last of the agitated Bat Pokémon departed, Mollie followed the slimy, almost slippery path down a lower part of the cave, where she noticed the bottom of a basin awaiting her.

"Alright, now..." she whispered to herself, focusing on the handheld monitor. "Where are you...?"

Once she got to the bottom of the basin, an ominous, foreboding feeling washed over her like a tidal wave. Looking up, Mollie realized her headlight was no longer the only source of light in the cave. The air was now illuminated by a faint but noticeable hue of dark-purple. It was as if she had stepped into another realm where dark energy reigned supreme.

Then, she looked down and realized the hue was coming directly from the cave floor, shining through cracks adorning its surface. It appeared as if the ground was covering something else entirely.

At that moment, Mollie noticed the cracks were following a generally straight line of direction. Following it, she looked up and realized they led to a lone stalagmite situated at the center of the basin. But it wasn't just any stalagmite, for there was something _unnatural_ about it, like it hadn't been made from the elements of the cave. Mollie instinctively traced the stalagmite's shape and quickly noticed something.

It was shaped like the typical emblem of a flame...and it was glowing a bright, almost fiery purple.

Her lips curled into a sneer as she whispered, "Found you."

* * *

_**"** _ **AGH _!"_**

Kubfu bounced painfully on the hard, cold floor of his small holding cell. Then, once he recovered, he tried to make a run for the door, but Arin's Hatterene used her Psychic to slam it shut. Before Kubfu could stop himself, he ran right into the bars, and bolts of electricity attacked his entire body in an instant.

 _ **"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"**_ he screamed in agony.

The force of the electrocution knocked Kubfu back, and he hit the wall of his cell hard. With a grunt, Kubfu slowly slid to the floor and went limp as the electricity fizzled out. All five of the Pokémon's senses were in overdrive now, and yet they were clouded with immeasurable pain.

As Kubfu struggled to remain conscious, he saw, through his blurring vision, Arin staring down at him with disapproval as Hatterene shook her head.

"Kubfu," the violet-haired man said in a droning, emotionless voice. "The protege of Urshifu. What a disappointment."

The insult was what shook Kubfu back to his senses. Shrugging off the pain he felt, he shot up to his feet and took on an aggressive fighting stance.

 _ **"Say that to me again, evildoer!"**_ the bearlike Pokémon shouted. _**"Say that to me again, and I'll give you a taste of my true power!"**_

Arin ignored him, his emotionless expression unwavering. Instead, Hatterene leaned her head in and used the long, arm-like tentacle at the end of her hat-like hair to waggle a claw in Kubfu's face.

_**"RARGH!"** _

Blinded with anger, Kubfu leaped at Hatterene, only to be electrocuted by the bars of his cell again. Arin's eyes glittered as Kubfu's body twitched and contorted from the bolts of electricity, while Hatterene gave a low, sinister snicker. As soon as the electricity fizzled out again, Arin and Hatterene walked away, leaving Kubfu to growl and twitch in frustration.

Once the two left, and Kubfu knew he was all alone, he mustered the energy to stand back up and stare at the bars that were preventing him from breaking free and rescuing his master.

 _ **"This is no good!"**_ he snapped, his paws clenching into tight fists. _**"For the entire time I've been in here, I've used everything Master taught me to get out of this prison...but nothing's working! There is nothing left for me to do! I'm...I'm sorry, Master..."**_

Kubfu collapsed to his knees and slammed a fist on the floor of his cell. His mind became plagued with horrible thoughts about what the evildoers were planning on doing to his master...what they were doing to her _now_...

 _**"I'm so** _ **sorry** _**... I'm not strong enough, Master. I...I failed you..."** _

* * *

Lord Cromwell stared out of the window of his artifact collection room, his blue eyes cool and his lips pursed in a straight line of neutrality. He could see all of the Isle's northern peninsula from a distance, all the way from the sandy beaches to the green plains to the fearsome mouth of Vambrace Cave at the end of a small yet narrow gorge. If there was one thing Cromwell could appreciate right now, it was the fact that he could afford great views of any landscape that he wished to admire. After all, the Flying Palace passed down to him easily assured that.

But unfortunately, it was all that could ever be assured to him. A great view of the lands. Lands that he could never have in the first place. It was a cruel irony to the lord.

 _ **"Lord Cromwell,"**_ a voice called through the walkie-talkie. _**"Are you there? Over."**_

Fortunately, it was an irony the lord intended to rectify.

Cromwell took the walkie-talkie and pressed a button. "Go on ahead, Mollie. Over."

_**"I have just extracted the Dark Fire Sphere. We're carrying it out of Vambrace Cave as we speak. Over."** _

Cromwell sneered with triumph. "So, it looks like Arin's analysis was correct after all. Soon, we will be one step closer to achieving my goal. Excellent, Mollie, excellent. You did well. Now, carry out the next step of our plan. Over."

_**"Yes, my lord. Over and out."** _

The lord's pupils zeroed in on the mouth of Vambrace Cave. After flexing his fingers, he slowly raised his right hand and inspected the three rings he was wearing. His index finger boasted a ring with a blood-red ruby, his middle finger wore a ring of pure yellow amber, and finally, his ring finger bore a ring of sapphire. All three jewels glittered magnificently from the golden sunlight shining through the window.

However, in spite of the wondrous beauty of each of the three rings, Cromwell could do nothing but scowl at them. From his perspective, that's all they were: rings. Rings he did nothing to earn.

Cromwell refocused his sights on the lands of the Isle of Armor below him. He could vaguely see movement at the mouth of Vambrace Cave, but he didn't need a closer look to know what was happening.

 _"It won't be long,"_ he thought. _"I just need to exercise the utmost patience, and soon..._ very _soon, I will have what I am owed."_

* * *

A wincing Mollie emerged from the darkness of Vambrace Cave, flanked by her horde of Galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone. She watched as her Obstagoon walked in front of her, carrying the Dark Fire Sphere with its paws, which were currently clad in armor gloves. She watched as the sphere, colored in a muddy blackish-brown and containing a burning, hot-pink flame like it was a glass case, quivered ominously in the paws of her Blocking Pokémon, as if it was sentient and reacting to its very touch.

 _"The Dark Fire Sphere..."_ she thought. _"Extracting it from that stalagmite was surprisingly easy...and yet..."_

Her mind flashed with memories of the stalagmite rock and other cave minerals falling away from her Pokémon's attacks, revealing the Dark Fire Sphere embedded in the center. An uncomfortable shudder crawled up her spine the moment she recalled the heat and weak flames that seemed to flash out of the disintegrating rock, followed by the horrible, unnatural feeling of peril that accentuated her approach towards it.

 _"It...It's like the Dark Fire Sphere_ wanted _to be set free...and yet the earth didn't_ want _me to take it..."_

Then, Mollie realized what she was thinking and shook her head. Hardening her gaze, she observed Obstagoon as it got a considerable distance away from the mouth of the cave. Then, it carefully set the Dark Fire Sphere down to the ground, and once it did, a minatory aura of searing heat and uneasiness suddenly suspended itself above the group.

But Mollie ignored it and approached her main Pokémon. "Alright, Obstagoon," she said approvingly. "It's time. Use Dark Slash on the Dark Fire Sphere!"

The Blocking Pokémon nodded before launching itself at the discarded Dark Fire Sphere, which continued to tremble on the ground, its strange pink flame burning brighter and fiercer within. The claws on Obstagoon's paws glowed a terrible light-pink, and it used them to slash the Sphere with brute force and blinding speed. With only two swipes, the Dark Fire Sphere broke into four pieces...

And the pink flame that had been contained inside expanded outward in a fiery explosion.

"AGH!" Mollie grunted as she and her Pokémon held their footing.

Then, the group watched, with their eyes shielded, as the pink flame, now a gargantuan mass of fire, stopped spreading outward. At first, the fireball was almost frozen in midair, suspended in time, before it finally began moving again, but in unnatural ways, as if it, like the Dark Fire Sphere itself, was sentient. Before long, the fire reformed enough times to take on the shape of a birdlike Pokémon. Soon, it soared over Mollie and her Pokémon and perched itself atop one of the cliffs making up the gorge that funneled into the mouth of Vambrace Cave.

Finally, after a few minutes of this, the flames fizzled out...revealing an actual, physical birdlike Pokémon. It was colored in black and magenta, and it sported magenta flames that burned from its head-crest, wings, and two-feathered tail. The strange Pokémon also sported a crimson beak that was slightly curved, giving the impression of a malevolent sneer. The unsettling aura enveloping this Pokémon perturbed Mollie's Zigzagoon and Linoone horde so much that they backed away out of caution, and even Obstagoon took on a defensive stance in preparation for a potential battle.

But Mollie wasn't disturbed by this new presence at all. Instead, she took a step forward, admiring the birdlike Pokémon in awe.

"After all these years," she whispered to herself, "it has finally risen again. The Fiery Demon."

* * *

From the safety of his Flying Palace, Lord Cromwell smiled with satisfaction at the sight of the birdlike Pokémon.

"Dark Moltres..." he said to himself.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Flying Palace, Urshifu lifted her head from the floor of her holding cell. She could immediately sense the Dark Aura filling the atmosphere, its presence almost suffocating.

 _ **"No..."**_ she said to herself in disbelief. _**"It...It can't be..."**_

* * *

In his own cell, Kubfu suddenly shivered and clutched his chest, feeling as if the room had suddenly been frozen over. He wandered close to his bars, wondering what had caused a sudden shift in temperature.

Then, he heard it.

* * *

After a long, unnerving moment of silence, the Dark Moltres lifted its head high into the air and released an earsplitting, terrible screech like no other. It rang through the air like a demonic symphony, disturbing all Flying-type Pokémon within its radius and causing the flocks to fly off in abject terror.

Down on the ground, Mollie saw this as her cue to flee. She ran down the gorge, followed by her Pokémon, just as Dark Moltres took notice of her. With a flap of its wings, it swooped downward into the gorge and soared toward Mollie's group at high speeds, seeing them as easy prey. It left behind a trail of hot-pink embers that attached themselves to the rocky surfaces below and set fires to any greenery that was nearby.

Realizing that Dark Moltres was after her, Mollie quickly fell to the ground, as did her Pokémon. Just a second later, the birdlike Pokémon soared directly over them, missing them only by a few inches. Once she was sure it passed over them, Mollie back shot up to her feet and watched as Dark Moltres directed itself high into the air, preparing to make another dive towards them.

She pulled out her walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Guys! A little help here?! Over!"

Just a couple of seconds later, Zeke's voice emerged from the walkie-talkie. _**"Oh,**_ **r** **elax** _ **, Mollie. I've got this handled. Over and out."**_

Mollie rolled her eyes at the response. At the same time, Dark Moltres reached the height of its arc and began its second descent.

 _"Oh, yeah,"_ she thought. _"That's_ exactly _what I'm afraid of..."_

* * *

"Alright, you guys! Time to move out!"

Zeke followed his Grapploct, Conkeldurr, and Shiny Machamp into the old-fashioned helicopter. Once he got himself into the cockpit and secured it shut, he began spinning some pedals with his feet. Once he did it long enough, steam began to jettison out of the vehicle's engines and the rotor to rotate faster and faster until it was a blur. At the same time, the large compartment door opened up for him, displaying the blue, cloud-specked sky and the Isle of Armor's lands below.

Soon, the helicopter began to hover in the air, powered by the steam-reliant rotors. Manning the controls, Zeke pushed them forward, carefully maneuvering the helicopter out of the Sky Palace.

 _ **"Zeke, do you read me?"**_ Lord Cromwell's voice came out from the retro-futuristic radio on the chopper's dashboard. _**"This is Lord Cromwell. Over."**_

Zeke pressed a button on the dashboard. "This is Zeke. I read you, my lord. Over."

_**"Do you have eyes on Dark Moltres? Over."** _

Zeke guided the helicopter into a slow, steady descent. As the aerial vehicle neared the Isle of Armor's coastline, he and his Pokémon saw Dark Moltres swooping down towards the gorge where Mollie and her own Pokémon were trapped.

"Yes, I've got eyes on it, my lord," he replied. "Looks like Mollie is Feebas in a barrel right now. Over."

_**"Do what you need to do. And distract Dark Moltres long enough for Mollie to get out of there. Over."** _

Zeke's eyes started to gleam with excitement. "On it, Lord Cromwell. Over and out."

* * *

_"Come on, Zeke, you idiot! Where in the world are you?!"_

Mollie and her Pokémon looked toward the skies in fear as Dark Moltres descended towards them, leaving behind a trail of hot-pink, burning fire. It opened its curved beak and let out another bloodcurdling screech as it prepared to attack-

A hail of bluish-silver lasers flew through the air and hit Dark Moltres in the side, knocking it off-course. Forced to make a premature ascent before it could reach its prey, Dark Moltres looked around in search of its attacker. Within seconds, it saw Zeke's helicopter racing towards it, leaving behind its own trail of smoke from its steam-powered engine.

 _ **"HAHAHAHAHA!"**_ Zeke cackled, his voice amplified by a megaphone system installed in the chopper. _**"Ya wanna pick on someone yer own size, ya overweight lil' bird?! Well, ya got a whole other fight coming to ya!"**_

"Ohhhhh, about _time_ you came swooping in, Zeke!" Mollie snapped as she started running out of the gorge, followed by Obstagoon and her other Pokémon.

At the same time, Dark Moltres let out another cry at its new opponent, and Zeke simply responded with another storm of lasers. This time, however, the demonic Pokémon avoided all of them and flew towards the helicopter.

"ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS!" Zeke hollered. "YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Grapploct, Conkeldurr, and Machamp nodded in unison. Then, Grapploct grabbed Conkeldurr, lifted it with its amazingly strong tentacles, and launched it right out of the helicopter's side, towards the incoming Dark Moltres. The demon tried to avoid it, but Conkeldurr managed to land on top of its back, causing Dark Moltres to plummet through the air because of the combined weight of its body and concrete blocks.

 _ **"CONKELDURR!"**_ Zeke ordered. _**"Quick, use Hammer Arm!"**_

Slamming its right concrete block into Dark Moltres's back, Conkeldurr cocked its unoccupied hand and clenched it into a tight fist. Once the fist exploded into a sphere of reddish-orange energy, the Muscular Pokémon punched Dark Moltres in the back of the head, triggering an explosion. At first, the demonic Pokémon let out a cry of pain and began to descend more.

Then, the fire and energy from the explosion was suddenly absorbed into Dark Moltres's body, and it straightened out its flight pattern. Conkeldurr's eyes grew wide, just as Dark Moltres's own icy-blue eyes started to glow brighter.

Realizing what was happening, Zeke descended after Dark Moltres. Once he was hovering about the demon, he glared at Grapploct.

"Alright, it's your turn, Grapploct!" he commanded.

The Jujitsu Pokémon nodded and jumped out of the helicopter. It fell and somersaulted through the air for a few seconds, with Zeke following after it in his chopper. Soon, Grapploct landed on Dark Moltres's back, joining its comrade.

But it was too late. With a heart-stopping cry, Dark Moltres let out a pulse of deep-magenta energy that struck Grapploct and Conkeldurr, stunning them. Then, with a louder, more bloodthirsty cry, the demon released a second, stronger pulse of energy, which seemed to invade Grapploct and Conkeldurr's bodies through their orifices.

"NO!" Zeke screamed.

 _ **"Zeke!"**_ Lord Cromwell's voice called through the radio. _**"Get your Pokémon out of there!"**_

Once the last of the energy was absorbed into the two Fighting-types, Grapploct and Conkeldurr's eyes turned icy-blue, just like Dark Moltres. Then, they fell to their knees and clutched their heads, allowing Dark Moltres to do a midair spin and shake the two Fighting-types off its plumage, sending them falling to their doom.

"AGH!" Zeke opened the cockpit side-window, pulled out two Poké Balls, and aimed them outside. "Return!"

The Poké Balls successfully recalled Grapploct and Conkeldurr. However, Dark Moltres noticed the red beams and glared at the helicopter. Zeke gritted his teeth hatefully at the sight of the demonic Pokémon.

 _ **"Zeke!"**_ Mollie's voice cried from the radio. _**"I've already gotten to safety! You gotta get outta there NOW!"**_

"No need to tell me twice, woman!" Zeke snarled as he turned his chopper away from Dark Moltres.

However, as he did, he failed to notice the dark energy beginning to accumulate around the demon's body.

* * *

Back in the Flying Palace, Lord Cromwell observed Dark Moltres's movements as Zeke engaged it. Once Zeke turned the steam-powered helicopter away from it, Dark Moltres's body began to glow a terrible shade of deep-magenta, with dark energy starting to be exuded from its form.

 _"The Fiery Demon,"_ he thought with pursed lips. _"The Dark Titan that wreaked havoc across the Isle through the means of psychological torture. Its ability to invade the minds of people and Pokémon alike and slowly destroy their morale was enough to make even the most formidable armies fall to their knees._

_"But once faced with a strong-willed opponent that could resist its psychology-oriented techniques, the Fiery Demon had a trump card up its sleeve: the attack that requires it to be at its maximum point of rage. The attack that wiped out an army of ten thousand. The personification of its own hatred."_

* * *

Finally, after a few minutes, Dark Moltres released the most bloodcurdling cry into the air as its body released all of the dark energy it had been accumulating. The energy pulsed outward in the form of a deep-magenta wave, which hit Zeke's helicopter and knocked it off-course, sending it circling wildly through the air while hot-pink fires burned on its exterior.

"AAAGH!" Zeke cried as he tried to steady the chopper, but to little avail. Machamp held on tight to its seat as the steam-powered aerial vehicle made a downward spiral towards the ground.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Mollie and her Pokémon had been knocked over by the same wave of dark energy. Looking up with shock, she saw Zeke's helicopter spiraling out of the control while on fire.

"ZEKE!" she cried while shooting up on her feet. " **ZEKE**!"

Her call of horror and concern was quickly drowned out by another one of Dark Moltres's screeches.

_**"Fiery Wrath."** _

* * *

_**"** _ **AGH** _**!"** _

Back at the Flying Castle, the same deep-magenta wave of dark energy had spread out far enough to hit it. Inside, Kubfu fell to the floor and felt a cold, terrible shiver run down his entire body. Then, the same bloodcurdling cry echoed through his mind like a distant memory, and he clutched his head, feeling a sudden, knife-like wave of pain run right through his head. This was followed by bright sparks of electricity that flew right out of the bars of his cell.

Once the sparks fizzled out, Kubfu heard a lock unlatch. Looking up, the bearlike Pokémon saw, through the faint cloud of smoke, the cell door slowly opening with a creak. Wordlessly, Kubfu stood back up and charily approached, unsure if this was a sadistic trap arranged by his captors. Once he got close enough to the door to smell charcoal in the air, Kubfu hesitantly raised a paw, held out one of its small fingers, and quickly touched one of the bars.

To his surprise, he wasn't zapped.

Sensing an opportunity, Kubfu kicked the cell door wide open and ran out into the room. He first gazed at the only door leading out of the room, but an uneasy feeling clouded his mind, so he looked around for an alternate means of escape. Soon, he spotted a grate of bluish steel on one of the walls, from which a soft yet ominous noise of wind was coming out. Unfortunately, it was too high for Kubfu to reach, and it was positioned by a corner of the ceiling.

Undeterred, Kubfu recalled everything he had been taught. Looking up at the ceiling, he spotted a lamp hanging over its former cage. With a plan now formulated, Kubfu walked over to another corner of the room, right behind the cage.

 _ **"Alright,"**_ Kubfu said to himself. _**"You can do this. Master is counting on you. You can do this, Kubfu."**_

With narrowed eyes, the bearlike Pokémon broke into a sprint and somersaulted to the top of its former cage. Then, with a grunt, and refusing to break its pace, Kubfu somersaulted again and held out his arms for dear life.

As soon as he felt metal touch his fingertips, Kubfu held on. The lamp creaked a little from the extra weight he provided, but Kubfu wasn't daunted by the sound. Using his body weight, he began swinging the lamp back and forth, shaking off the dust coating it as he did so. Once he gained enough power and momentum to the swings, Kubfu leaped off the lamp and grabbed onto the grate.

 _ **"Hahaha, YES!"**_ Kubfu puffed out his chest in pride. _**"I'm the BEST!"**_

Then, with a rising growl, Kubfu pulled at the grate with all of his might, but it wouldn't budge. Gritting his teeth, Kubfu pulled harder and harder, and though he heard some faint creaks coming from the metal barrier, it still wouldn't dislodge itself from its hinges.

_**"RARGH!"** _

After a few minutes of hopeless pulling and tugging, Kubfu aimed a fist backward at the grate as it became enveloped in a bright, white aura.

 _**"Patience, Kubfu! Diligence** _ **and** _**patience!"** _

Urshifu's words echoed in his mind, but Kubfu steadfastly ignored them. He shot his glowing fist forward, shattering the grate into pieces and revealing the dusty vent inside. With a triumphant huff, the bearlike Pokémon got halfway into the vent and threw out most of the metal pieces, not wanting them to impede his progress.

The moment these pieces hit the floor, Kubfu cringed at the loud clattering noises they made. Then, his heart stopped as soon as the door to the room flew open, its outline enveloped in a pink aura. Wasting no time, Kubfu got fully inside the vent and crawled through it as quickly as he could.

"Hatterene," Arin's voice droned coldly, "use Psychic."

Kubfu felt something tug at his legs, and he knew.

_**"AGH! AAAGH!"** _

An unseen force began dragging him out of the vent. He looked back and saw Hatterene peering into the vent, her eyes glowing brightly...

The Flying Palace shook again, and Kubfu could see Hatterene being knocked over to the side. A split-second later, Kubfu felt the unseen force release its grip on him. Sensing his chance, the bearlike Pokémon continued his progress, crawling deeper and deeper into the vent, all the while hoping Hatterene had been knocked out or was otherwise taking her time to recover.

* * *

"Well... That went well..."

With gritted teeth, Lord Cromwell got back up on his feet and peered out of the window again. He could see the coastline of the Isle of Armor down below...and several areas were now ablaze. Hot-pink fires burned strongly, sending columns of charcoal-gray smoke in the air. Through the deepening haze, Cromwell could see the remains of Zeke's helicopter, along with Mollie and her Obstagoon, who were dragging Zeke and his Machamp away from the smoking wreckage.

Then, his artifact room started growing darker and darker by the second. Cromwell took a few calm steps backward as a familiar body of black and magenta plumage slowly rose in the air directly outside the glass. As it did, the room started rocking slightly from the flapping of its wings, which left behind faint traces of pink energy.

Cromwell's reaction to this newest arrival was subdued, and his eyes could only narrow as they were met with a pair of icy-blue ones.

* * *

Kubfu cried out as the vent rocked violently for a second, sending him tumbling through it. Before he could even recover, the same screech of otherworldly terror pierced the air again, and this time, it was louder and angrier. With a cry, Kubfu covered his ears, but it did little to drown out the noise reaching his eardrums. Then, the vent rocked again, which sent the bearlike Pokémon further down again.

And then, it rocked yet again, but instead of flying across the narrow space, Kubfu hit a wall that apparently marked the end of the vent. With a groan, he looked up and realized he was now at a T-intersection between two vents. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a fan blowing softly behind him, protected by more steel grates and having nothing but pitch-black darkness on the other side. Then, Kubfu looked ahead and saw no obstructions in his path.

Before Kubfu could make a decision, he heard the grinding and earsplitting tearing of metal beside him. He looked down the vent from which he came, and to his horror, he saw the bottom panels being torn away by Psychic energy.

"It can't have gotten far, Hatterene," Arin's voice echoed calmly. "Keep on searching."

Kubfu immediately scrambled down the unobstructed vent, but his frantic scrambling caused the metal to make banging and clanging noises as he went.

"There."

Immediately after, Kubfu heard the vent being torn away behind him. They found him.

 _ **"Gotta keep moving, gotta keep moving!"**_ Kubfu thought, his teeth gritting and his resolve hardening as the bearlike Pokémon continued his rapid crawling. _**"Faster! Faster, faster, faster! FASTER!"**_

His scramble went on for a couple more minutes, and as the seconds ticked by, Hatterene's reach seemed to grow closer and closer. Then, before Kubfu felt as if escape would be futile, his hearing no longer registered the vent being torn away piece by piece. He stopped and looked behind him, and then his heart surged with relief when he saw that Hatterene had ceased its attempt to recapture him, for the vent was left intact for a few feet. A twinkle of a light faintly shone from that end, and Kubfu sensed no movement from there.

 _ **"HAHAHA!"**_ Kubfu thought triumphantly. _**"I lost 'em! Teaches you guys to mess with the likes of me! Now..."**_ He focused back on the darkness ahead. _**"Time to save Master Urshifu."**_

A split-second later, the vent rocked yet again, and Kubfu was knocked forward...

Into a pit filled with wind and howling noise.

_**"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"** _

After falling for a couple of seconds, Kubfu's body hit another grate, and this time, it was flimsy enough for him to break through it. Acting on instinct, Kubfu pierced his claws through the wall beside him and held on, stopping his fall. Once he shook his head and recovered, he gasped, realizing how lucky he was in stopping the fall.

In his attempt to escape Arin, Kubfu had unknowingly fallen into one of the large, complex, fan-powered engines of the Flying Castle. He was now dangling right outside, with the Isle several thousand feet below him.

Upon recovering from his shock, Kubfu tried to climb back into the engine and find a way inside the Flying Palace. Before he could do that, however, he heard the same bloodcurdling cry again. He let out a scream of agony and covered one of his ears with his unoccupied paw, hopelessly allowing the cry to hammer relentlessly into his other uncovered eardrum.

Then, Kubfu saw a demonic being of fire soar through the air, pursued by what appeared to be miniature helicopters that were his size. These minuscule helicopters were firing bolts of electricity at the winged Pokémon, striking it and causing it to cry out in pain as it tried to distance itself from the Flying Palace. As Kubfu stared on at the being, he suddenly felt nothing but absolute loathing fill his heart.

Then, his suspicions about the demonic Pokémon were confirmed once it stopped fleeing and faced its assailants. An air of dread filled the air as dark energy began to accumulate around the Pokémon, causing it to glow and surge with deep-magenta energy. Sensing the worst, Kubfu tried to climb back into the engine and find the vent from which it came, but it didn't get far when it heard the demon cry out again with all of the hatred it could muster...

And then, it unleashed its special attack, sending wave after wave of crackling dark energy through the air. The miniature helicopters were all destroyed in an instant before the dark waves struck the Flying Palace, causing more sparks to fly in the air like flown pebbles.

A small explosion rocked the engine Kubfu was in, sending flashes of fire, sparks, and smoke into it. The wall the bearlike Pokémon was clinging on to rocked violently, and he lost his grip on it. His heart stopped and became frozen against his own sternum the moment he started falling, plummeting to certain doom.

_**"No!"** _

Kubfu tried grabbing onto anything and everything that he could reach, but all his paws could grasp onto was open air.

_**"No, no, no!"** _

Kubfu's mind raced as he tried to recall anything and everything Urshifu taught him...but it was useless.

_**"No, this can't be it!"** _

As he began to free-fall, Kubfu looked beside his shoulder and saw the demonic Pokémon. It let out a screech of triumph before soaring towards him. Looking into its face, Kubfu's sights registered the demon's curved beak, which resembled a malicious, hungry sneer.

_**"NO!"** _

The demon flew right above him, missing him by just a few inches. The current of air left in its wake sent Kubfu hurtling in the air even more, and he could feel the trail of heat that had been exuded by the demon.

At that point, he could see nothing but a vortex of color, brought on by his continuous spinning through the skies as he continued to fall. He did not know what had happened to the Flying Palace or the occupants inside, nor what the demon chose to do next.

All that he knew was that this was his doom...and he hadn't been able to do anything.

 _ **"I'm sorry, Master!"**_ he thought. _**"I'm sorry! I couldn't be strong for you! I couldn't be strong! I...I failed you, Master! I failed!"**_

With that, he closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable.

The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was a flurry of squawks...

* * *

"Status report, Mollie. Over."

Lord Cromwell scanned his artifact room, which now looked like a hurricane had struck it. All of the precious artifacts that he had in his collection were reduced to rubble, incapable of being restored to their former glory. Even the timeless stone tablet that he had, the one from which he learned about the legend of Urshifu and the Dark Titans, had been thrown out of its glass case and shattered into a half-dozen blocks, now rendered utterly useless for reading.

However, the destruction of his collection didn't perturb Cromwell at all. Not when he managed to see a living, breathing Dark Titan in the flesh and live to tell the tale.

Not when he had taken the first step to actualizing his dream, his destiny.

"Mollie," he said into his crackling walkie-talkie, "this is Lord Cromwell. I demand a status report. Over."

After a few minutes of tense silence, Mollie's distorted voice emerged from the walkie-talkie.

_**"We're fine, my lord. We're fine. Zeke is unconscious, but-"** _

"I'm not talking about you and Zeke, Mollie," Cromwell interrupted harshly. "I'm talking about Dark Moltres. Over."

_**"D-Dark Moltres? O-Oh. ...I-It's, uh, it's flying away. I-I think it's made its point. Over."** _

"Excellent. I trust Zeke planted a tracking device on it? Over."

_**"Yes. I'm-I'm seeing it on my radar right now. H-His Conkeldurr did w-"** _

"Lord Cromwell."

Arin's unusually calm voice caught Cromwell's attention. He looked up and saw the man standing in the doorway with an embarrassed Hatterene by his side.

"We have a problem," Arin said.

 _ **"Lord Cromwell?"**_ Mollie's voice asked from the walkie-talkie. _**"Is something wrong? Over."**_

"It's fine, Mollie," Cromwell replied, his eyes still trained on Arin. "I want you and Zeke back on the Castle in half an hour flat. Over."

_**"Understood, my lord. Over and out."** _

Once Mollie hung up, Cromwell narrowed his eyes at Arin. "Now, what seems to be the problem, Arin? If it's the damage the Castle sustained from Dark Moltres's attack, then it's nothing we can't fix."

"I agree, but that is not the problem." Arin knelt on one knee and bowed his head with humility, with Hatterene following suit. "I am afraid Kubfu has escaped from our grasp."

Cromwell blinked. "Escaped?"

"Yes, my lord."

The lord's eyelid twitched nastily. "You were _watching_ him, Arin. How could this have _happened_?"

"We were all caught off-guard by Dark Moltres's special move. And apparently, it was devastating enough to knock out all our security systems. Kubfu was able to take advantage of my moment of weakness to break free from its cage and use the ventilation system to flee."

"The ventilation system?" Cromwell narrowed his eyes even more. "Then he could be anywhere within the Castle. Search for him, at once!"

"Unfortunately, my lord," Arin continued, "it seems a search for Kubfu will be moot. It found his way to the Castle's right engine system. Either it fell out, or-"

Cromwell cut him off. "So you mean to tell me...Kubfu is _dead_."

"Yes, my lord. It was a preventable incident, and I acknowledge my inability to do so. Whatever punishment you have for me, my lord, I will gladly accept."

Cromwell gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly that he threatened to draw blood. However, after a moment of anger, the lord suddenly calmed down, turned his back on Arin, and straightened out his robes.

"That will not be necessary, Arin," he said.

Arin raised his head. "My lord?"

"The security footage of Kubfu's room, it's still salvageable, am I right?"

"Yes, my lord, but I don't see what use the surveillance systems will have for-"

"Just retrieve the footage of the past twelve hours and bring it to me. If we are to ensure Urshifu's compliance, then we must do everything that we can to keep it." When he was greeted with silence, Cromwell glared over his shoulder. "Do it, Arin! Lest you truly yearn for a punishment from me for your failure!"

Arin shot up on his feet and bowed his head. "It will be done, my lord!"

And with that, the man left the room, with Hatterene following by his heels. Now left to his own devices again, Cromwell stared out of the window of his artifact room, ignoring the destruction that was behind him and simply staring upon the lands of the Isle of Armor that awaited below him. He could still faintly see the trail of dark fire left behind by the demon that was Dark Moltres.

 _"One down..."_ he thought, _"two to go. The loss of Kubfu is...quite unfortunate, but a surmountable obstacle. I only need Urshifu's cooperation, after all. And once I bring out all of the pieces that I need, then I'll see to it that the Isle of Armor, and all of Galar, knows who its true master is."_

* * *

Unbeknownst to everyone else, a flock of Braviary was flying away from the scene of the battle, with the leader carrying an unconscious Kubfu on his feathery back...

* * *

_**POK**_ **_ÉMON: KUBFU AND THE STRIKE OF RAPIDS_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of this first chapter! Yeah, I know there wasn't any Ash/Bea moments in it. In fact, I know Ash and Bea weren't in it at all. But hey, that's why this is a prologue! It's meant to set up the conflict that awaits them. And don't worry! Our favorite nevermet couple will be showing up first thing in the next chapter! And that chapter should be up in a couple of weeks, as long as nothing gets in the way of my goal in real life like it did with this chapter. XP
> 
> Anyway, as you can see, this fanfic is an adaptation of the Isle of Armor DLC for the Sword and Shield games, which was released four days earlier, Pacific Standard Time. There is also some of the upcoming Crown Tundra DLC thrown in there for good measure. For anyone who already has the Isle of Armor, there will be some major differences between that and this fic. I've had this legend of Urshifu and Kubfu in mind before the DLC was released, and I really like it as a backdrop for this Ash/Bea fic's conflict, so you're going to have to suspend your disbelief a lot more for this. But don't worry! Even if I don't actually have the DLC, I'm doing the necessary research to make sure this fic adheres to the canon as much as possible.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	2. Bellum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, everyone, the first real chapter of this Ash/Bea fic, featuring Ash and Bea, just as advertised! And be prepared for some Ash/Bea hints, because this new chapter is bound to be juicy!
> 
> Now, before we begin, I want to clarify something that a reviewer brought up: I'm not going to be committed to writing a full-fledged, fully-developed series of Ash and Bea's adventures throughout Galar. That, I feel, is going to take a lot of time and effort to brainstorm and write out, and I've already got another "Pokémon" series in the works, which is the "Judgment's Fall" rewrite. I plan on starting it pretty soon, once I figure out the outline and have a few chapters prepared in advance. Now, THAT project is going to take up a lot of my time when it comes to "Pokémon" fanfiction, so much that I will not have time for another project as ambitious as a Galar-centric adventure fic. Plus, the rewrite will be the last "Pokémon" fic I will ever finish, for I think I've exhausted all the creativity I have for "Pokémon" fics. (Don't worry, I still plan on getting at least one or two Ash/Bea three-shot fics during that time as well.)
> 
> And besides, I still don't have the Sword and Shield games, so my knowledge of Galar is still a little limited. XP
> 
> The point is I'll be focusing a lot of my efforts on the "Judgment's Fall" rewrite, and I will not have the time or motivation to write another full-length fic like this one during that time. A Galar adventure series fic is totally out of the question. All I have to show for this idea is this fic and a couple additional three-shots. I know there'll be some missing context, but I intend on explaining and contextualizing things in this fic so you feel like you haven't missed out on anything. I'm sorry if you guys were expecting a more episodic adventure from me but I don't think I can manage that sort of thing, especially with the workload I'm dealing with now. You'll have to make do with what you have right now, which is this fic.
> 
> HOWEVER, if anyone feels unfulfilled by this and is up for it, you're perfectly free to borrow this idea from me and write a fic of your own. That's right, you can write your own Ash/Bea adventure based on this. All you have to do is PM me and I can consult you with the basic details. I'll need to check if you have acceptable writing experience, though.
> 
> Okay, I'm done rambling. On with this long-awaited chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
> -Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
> -Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
> -Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
> -Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
> -Not sharing food and drinks with others  
> -Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
> -Avoiding close contact with others  
> -Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
> -Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
> -Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

_Our heroes are continuing on their journey across the Galar region! Ash and Pikachu's quest to see the world and take on the famous Gym Challenge is joined by Bea, the ambitious Gym Leader of Stow-on-Side; and Gordie, the celebrity son of Circhester Gym Leader Melony. But today, they have decided to take a detour from that goal, for they are sailing to the Isle of Armor to attend the world-famous Fighting Festival, an event guaranteed to test our heroes' strengths and skills as Trainers._

_But little do they know, a greater test awaits._

"WHOOOOOA!"

"PIKAAAAA!"

The exclamations of enthusiasm disturbed Bea's moment of tranquil serenity. Heaving out a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. To her absolute non-surprise, she saw Ash and his Pikachu leaning over the railing of the passenger speedboat they were on, gawking at the island that was miles ahead, with his Scorbunny beside his foot and his Rookidee perched on the railing beside him.

Miles ahead of the speedboat was the old beachside settlement, a little too large to be considered a town but still a little small to officially be considered a city. The backdrop of lush greenery and sandy-white precipices dwarfed the settlement in size, illustrating the awe and luxury of nature on the island.

But Bea was not too concerned about the quaint juxtaposition of greenery and civilization. Instead, the silver-haired girl noticed how the ever-oblivious Ash was leaning over the railing a little too much, leaving him in a precarious situation in which he could go overboard at any moment, taking Pikachu with him. With a twitching eyelid, she stood up from the red training mat she shared with her Machamp, Machop, and Machoke; grabbed the back of Ash's shirt; and yanked him and Pikachu back, causing the Trainer to fall flat on his backside.

"Ah, _jeez_!" she snapped with exasperation. "You're such a tourist, Ash! You were so close to falling off the ship, you know that?"

"Oh, I was?"

Ash glanced at the railing and soon realized his oversight. With that, he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Bea," he said. "You know how I get very excited about being in new places!"

Bea pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Yeah, so excited that you nearly get yourself hurt like an idiot, or worse!"

"Yeah, I suppose."

She rolled her gray eyes at how casually her traveling companion was treating this whole near-miss. "How many times does that make it, me having to save your sorry butt from a stupid dilemma!"

"I dunno," Ash replied. "I sorta lost count after we left Turffield." Despite this, however, the raven-haired boy flashed her a wide and positive smile. "Hey, but I'm really glad knowing I've at least got you watching my back! And my Pikachu too! Right, buddy?!"

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

A muted hue of pink suddenly blossomed on Bea's cheeks. There it was again. That stupid, clueless smile of his, the very thing about Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town that somehow managed to worm its way into her heart and captivate it. Steeling the remainder of her resolve, Bea puffed her cheeks and stubbornly looked away.

"W-Well," she said, "I'm glad I was mature enough to take this responsibility. I can't imagine anyone else willing enough to babysit you!"

Just then, Bea noticed her Machamp and Machop looking at one another with crafty grins. She narrowed her eyes at both of her Fighting-type Pokémon with a low groan and a protruding lower lip. As soon as they noticed, they snapped back to attention and resumed the meditating session they had committed themselves to with Machoke.

"#Tsundere, anyone?"

Bea flicked her head at the rotund, older boy who was lying in the middle of the deck, just a few feet beside her training mat. He was shirtless and wearing his signature pair of dark, triangular sunglasses. His exposed torso, endearing in its flabbiness, was absorbing the shining Sun, while he snaked a hand down to adjust the hem of his gray shorts. His other hand was holding a light-brown Rotom Phone, which was aimed at her, its small mountain insignia gleaming proudly from the sunlight. Resting beside him were his Coalossal and Shuckle.

"Oh, shut up, Gordie," she growled.

"Ah, don't be a wuss, Bea," the boy replied, just as he turned the Rotom Phone's camera towards himself and smiled for it. "Everyone knows all about your little thing for Ash."

"My little thing for-?!"

Bea cut herself off and checked to see if Ash was listening. To her relief, he was back on his feet and leaning against the railing so he could admire the scenery of their next destination.

Gordie seemed to understand what she was asking, for he explained, "My followers have taken quite a liking to the idea of you and Ash together."

He punctuated this revelation with his taking of a selfie, his eleventh or twelfth for the day. Bea marched up to him, her fists clenched.

"Your _followers_?" she asked ominously.

"Of course!" Then, Gordie raised his sunglasses to reveal his dashing baby-blue eyes. "You _do_ remember that I've been vlogging my journey with you guys."

"Yes, I remember you being a nuisance with that phone of yours since day one." Memories of Gordie's often-problematic obsession with his Rotom Phone and social media accounts tugged at Bea's mind. "So...you mean to tell me that you've been...re- _recording_ all of my conversations with Ash?"

"Yep! That _is_ the point of a vlog, after all-"

"No, it's not!"

"Oh, come on, Bea! Don't tell me that, after weeks and weeks of me filming everything we do, it never even _occurred_ to you that I filmed a good video or two of you with Ash?"

"Th-Th-Th-That's an i-invasion of pr-pr- _privacy_!"

Gordie tutted and put his sunglasses back on. "My dear, dear Bea. I see you've got a lot to learn when it comes to having a ton of followers. You see, as a celebrity-"

Bea rolled her eyes at that.

"-Everyone is gonna wanna know what goes on in my daily life. As the person they cherish and idolize, I've gotta provide it for my followers, no details spared. It's what gives them joy, and it's my duty to give it to them, no matter what. And as long as you've got me by your side, the attention on you is gonna skyrocket tenfold. And because of that, your story automatically becomes a part of my story now. Hence your status as a costar of my vlog." Gordie then gave the female Gym Leader a small but knowing smile. "And the story you are telling to my followers is that you've got quite the major crush on Ash."

"I-!" The Stow-on-Side Gym Leader paused and took a deep breath before speaking in a calmer, steadier voice. "I do _not_ have a crush on Ash, Gordie. I'm sorry to say this, but your followers are mistaken. They've misinterpreted my behavior around Ash as something that it's totally not."

"Really?" Gordie arched an eyebrow with amusement. "All 400,000-plus of them are wrong?"

...

"Yeah. All of them."

Gordie chuckled and started typing away on his Rotom Phone. "This is _so_ gonna trend tonight."

"Keep talking like that and I'm gonna throw that phone of yours overboard."

"My, my, the hashtag is just writing itself!"

"I swear to frigging Arceus, Gordie!"

Bea reached for the phone, but Gordie seemed to anticipate her move. Before her fingertips could even graze the plastic surface, the round man did a sudden back-flip away from her grasp, jumping right over his Shuckle in the process. With a yell of defiance, Bea lunged at her traveling companion again, only for Gordie to do a series of somersaults across the deck of the speedboat, a complete and stark betrayal of his physique.

"WHOO-HOO!" Gordie cried, grinning once he got to a safe distance away from Bea. "Now _that's_ going on my PokéVision tonight!"

"Gimme that stupid phone, Gordie!" snapped Bea. She lunged at him yet again, and Gordie back-flipped away from her...

And into the belly of a Dragonite, which proceeded to ensnare Gordie in a bone-crushing hug.

"AGH!" Gordie tried to struggle against Dragonite's grip, but its strength was overwhelming. "Ge-Get off me, Dragonite! I don't want a hug right now- AGH! NO!"

In Gordie's haste to pry himself free from the Dragon Pokémon, he had dropped his Rotom Phone. With a smug grin, Bea bent down to pick it up and gave Dragonite a warm, sweet smile.

"Thank you very much, Dragonite," she said kindly.

Dragonite didn't seem to notice her thanks and was only focused on hugging Gordie and nearly unintentionally strangling him some more. But Bea moved on from the topic quickly, scouring through the phone in search of the posts that Gordie appeared to have been making. Just as she was about to access his video files, Ash's voice rang through the air, startling her and nearly making her drop the phone.

"We're here, guys! We're here!"

"Huh?"

Bea looked up, and the first thing she saw was one of the Isle's peninsulas several yards beside the speedboat. The boat itself was beginning to slow down, and once Bea turned, she saw it approaching: the beachside town. Now that the boat was getting closer to its destination, she could see why Ash was gawking.

The town was resting atop a considerable slope and nestled amongst greenery, which in turn were resting at the foot of a large, sandy-white cliff-side. The cliff-side was left with a ridged appearance due to generations and generations of being subjected to choppy, crashing waters.

Being on a hilly slope, it appeared as if the very town was divided into levels based on elevation. Many of the buildings at the middle levels, especially those closest to the mountains, were old-fashioned villas made out of ancient materials. Up at the few topmost "levels", there were fewer buildings that nevertheless dominated the town's overall visuals because of their larger size and regal architecture. There was an ancient, respectable aura was being exuded by these buildings.

As for the buildings closest to the shoreline, they were evidently newer structures constructed for the sake of tourism, as they sported more colorful appearances, plus there were many people congregated near them. The same thing applied to the light-yellow stadium constructed on a man-made harbor. In fact, the stadium's gleaming exterior and modern design, coupled with the presence of a remaining crane, made it clear that construction on it had just been finished.

At that moment, the door to the speedboat's cabin opened up, and a weathered-looking older man with tanned, splotchy skin and a thick, gray beard poked his head out.

"Alright, everyone!" he announced. "We've reached our destination: Bellum Town!"

"Whoa..." Ash breathed out.

"Pika..." Pikachu added.

Within minutes, the speedboat reached the local harbor. It was colorful and packed to the brim with unoccupied boats of differing makes and models, ranging from other speedboats to sailboats to even private yachts. On the other side of the harbor was a ferry, which had dozens, if not hundreds of people excitedly disembarking from it. There were many people already milling about on the harbor, taking pictures with their phones and cameras and admiring the scenery.

"Bellum Town," Bea whispered to herself. Then, she took a deep breath and smiled. "It's been a while..."

By that point, Gordie had managed to free himself from Dragonite's grip. Approaching Bea, he snatched the phone out of her hands while she continued to admire Bellum Town.

"H-Hey!" the girl exclaimed, but Gordie quickly distanced himself from her and approached the captain.

"Thanks a lot, Huey," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "I owe you one."

"Nah, you already repaid that debt! There's nothing I wouldn't do for the world-famous Gordie!" Then, Huey's eyes lit up, and he fumbled around for something in his pocket. "Oh, actually...w-would you mind?"

He pulled out an older-looking phone and gave it to Gordie. The rotund boy eyed it curiously before looking back at Huey.

"One last selfie for the grandkids!" the captain explained. "Please?"

With that, Gordie gave him a charming smile. "Well, since you put it that way, Huey..." He wrapped an arm around Huey and brought him close to his tubby side. "There's no way I would deny my loving fans a personal selfie!" He then aimed the phone directly at their faces and smiled at the camera lens. "Say cheese!"

Huey smiled from ear to ear as well. " _Cheese_!"

Bea could only roll her eyes at the flash of light coming from the phone. She turned away from the embarrassing scene, only to nearly bump headfirst into Ash. Literally.

"Agh! _Ash_!"

"Oh, sorry Bea!" Ash exclaimed with that stupid grin of his. "Should've watched where I was going. Anyway, let's get off, quick! I wanna check Bellum Town out, see if there's anyone willing to give me a great battle!"

Bea rolled her eyes again. "Ah jeez, will you _relax_ , Ash? The boat hasn't even docked yet." She passed Ash and rejoined her Pokémon as they continued meditating on the training mat. "Be patient. Once we're safely docked, you can have all the battles you want."

Ash's auburn eyes burned with enthusiasm, and he bounced with joy. "HOORAY!"

"PIKA!" Pikachu squeaked with a raised paw.

Bea sighed heavily. With a grunt, she sat in-between Machamp and Machoke, her eyelid twitching ambiguously.

"Arceus, it's like I'm watching over a little kid," she whispered to herself. Then, out of instinct, she eyed Machamp, who was looking at her knowingly again. "Keep looking at me like that, Machamp, and I'll throw you overboard."

Machamp merely gave her a grunt of a chuckle and then resumed its meditation.

* * *

Having recalled her Pokémon alongside Ash and Gordie, Bea was the first person to disembark the speedboat. Once her feet met the Bellum Town harbor, she froze in her tracks. The Stow-on-Side Gym Leader promptly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and held her arms out, greeting the cool breeze that blew across the harbor.

 _"It's been a while, Bellum,"_ she thought.

"Hey, Bea! Hey, Bea!"

Her moment of serenity was interrupted once again by Ash, who gave her a less-than-respectable nudge on the shoulder. She opened her eyes and snapped her head towards him.

" _What_?" she asked with all of the boiling calmness she could muster.

Ash pointed off towards a poster. "Isn't that your old teacher?"

She followed the direction of his index finger and realized the poster was of a tall, muscular man with a stocky, squarish face; light-brown hair; and eyes that were closed shut with relaxation, even though it did nothing to hide the intimidating aura that his body exuded. He was wearing a blue karategi with a small Poké Ball symbol over his right breast and a fist insignia over his left. Bea watched as a couple of tourists passed by the poster, warily eyeing the man depicted on it and instinctively avoiding its shadow like it was about to grab them at any second.

"Yep, that's him," she said with a smile. "Carter. Carter Ferrum. One of the few people in this world who could beat me in his sleep."

"He looks like a nice guy," Ash replied while staring at the poster with awe.

"A nice guy?"

"Well, of course! He's the one who invited us here, after all! Plus, if he taught you everything you know, then I'd love to learn something from him too!"

"You'd love to _learn_ something from _him_..." Bea's earlier irritation at her traveling companion vanished in an instant, and she suppressed a giggle. "Oh, poor, poor Ash. You've obviously never trained under him."

Ash looked at her curiously. "Well...of _course_. That's why I-"

"Or had lunch with him," Bea suddenly interrupted. "Or been to his house. Or known him. Or even _heard_ of him."

The raven-haired boy blinked. "Why? What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Bea could respond, she overheard a small commotion up in the speedboat. With an annoyed sigh, she glanced at the now-fully-clothed Gordie, who was trying to disembark while doing his best to politely turn down Huey.

"Please, Gordie!" the old man exclaimed, looking rather disappointed. "Just one more selfie! Or an autograph! O-O-Or a lil' souvenir that pr-proves your existence!"

"I appreciate your appreciation, Huey!" a nervous Gordie replied. "I really do, but I need to get going now! Lots of places to go, lots of places to see, so little time! I promise, I'll bring back a signed souvenir from my trip here, just for you and the grandkids!"

Huey still looked downcast, but nevertheless, he mustered a small smile. "W-Well...since you put it that way..."

"Seriously, seriously though, thank you very much, Huey, for all your help! I appreciate it!"

Gordie then rushed off the speedboat in a hurry, nearly bumping into Bea and Ash in the process. The girl put her hands on her hips and gave him a smirk.

"Providing joy for all of your followers, no matter what?" she asked mockingly.

Gordie waved his hands defensively. "Hey now, I can't just spend a whole episode on that speedboat! I promised we'd be at the Isle of Armor, and now that we're at the Isle of Armor, the show must go on! Oh, and speaking of which..."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his Rotom Phone, and aimed its camera at the buildings of Bellum Town and all the surrounding scenery. With that, he began recording.

"And here we are, everyone, the Isle of Armor! It's quite a beautiful place, huh?" Then, Gordie aimed the phone's camera at himself and his friends. "Me and the guys just arrived at Bellum Town only a few minutes ago. It was one thing to see it in all the brochure photos and from a distance, but I guarantee you our experience with it up-close and personal is on a totally new level! So, Ash, Bea, what do you guys think of it so far?!"

"It's so _awesome_!" Ash exclaimed, his expression brimming with energy and excitement as he stared into the camera. "I hear the Trainers living here train themselves and their Pokémon to the limits, so I can't wait to have some great battles here!" He looked ahead at Bellum Town and raised a clenched fist. "And I can't wait to win 'em all!"

"Now THAT'S the Ash we all know and love!" Then, Gordie focused the camera on Bea. "What about you, Bea? What does our fighting prodigy girl have to say about Bellum?"

"Well," Bea said, her tone now flat and noncommittal as she gave the camera a deadpan stare. "I'm excited to attend the Fighting Festival and meet up with my old mentor and all that. Yadda, yadda, yadda, that's all I've got to say. And by the way, Gordie, it's supposed to be 'the guys and I', not 'me and the guys'."

"HA HA HA!" Gordie aimed the camera at himself again, wearing a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "And that is Bea, everyone! So cold and stern on the outside, but a total softie on the inside, as we all know."

"HEY!"

But Gordie ignored her and calmly continued filming himself. "So we are gonna go do some exploring, see the sights and sounds that Bellum has to offer. In fact, we're gonna start now, before Ash loses patience and runs off without us. I'll be sure to keep you guys in the loop! Until then, Gordie's out! PEACE!" As soon as he stopped filming, he faced Bea. "Aww, come on, Bea! You gotta _smile_ for the camera! Do you even _know_ how to smile?"

"Of _course_ I know how to smile," Bea replied. "Just not when you're filming with that stupid phone."

Gordie swooned dramatically. "Now that's hurtful."

"With your ego, I doubt it."

Just then, Ash suddenly started running. After running a few feet, he twirled around on his heel and waved at his friends.

"Come on, you guys!" he yelled. "Let's go check Bellum out! I wanna see the Fighting Festival in particular!"

"PIKAAAAA!" Pikachu added excitedly.

"Hey, wait up, Ash!" Bea called. "We're supposed to wait for-!"

But it was too late, for Ash had spun around again and began running out of the harbor, towards the gatherings of people and the rows of food stalls lining a beachside promenade. Bea growled with irritation and followed the raven-haired boy, with Gordie right behind her, running at a surprisingly healthy pace.

"Of _course_ he runs off without us to check out the Festival!" she cried with exasperation. "Just like a tourist."

"Yep!" Gordie replied with a cheeky grin. "And that's what you love so much about him, isn't that right?"

"Well, ye-" Bea snapped her head at him. "Wait, what?"

Gordie widened his grin as he aimed his phone at her. "No, go on, Bea. Finish your sentence!"

The Stow-on-Side Gym Leader stopped abruptly and snatched the phone out of her friend's hands just as he passed her. Gordie gasped, stopped, and turned to look at Bea, who was now dangling the phone perilously high in the air, keeping it tucked between only her thumb and index finger. There was a menacing look in her face.

"No," she replied mockingly, " _you_ go on, Gordie. What was it you were saying?"

Gordie chuckled nervously and waved his palms at her. "B-Bea, dear, let's not do anything rash. J-Just gimme the phone, and I'll-"

"You'll what?" Bea chuckled ominously. "Maybe it's time you took a break from this darn phone."

"Oh, come on, Bea! You know my fans are gonna freak out if they don't get an update from me in about-" He checked his wristwatch. "Five minutes!"

Bea wiggled the phone even more, threatening to let it slip from her fingers. "You can always tell them you dropped your phone and broke it."

"H-Ho-Hold on now, Bea! Wh-Wh-What would your m-me-mentor say if he c-cau-caught you d-do-doing this?!"

Bea opened her mouth to answer, but another voice suddenly spoke for her.

"He would be quite disappointed, that's what."

"EEK!"

Bea twirled around and jumped to attention, accidentally dropping Gordie's phone in the process. With a yell, the rotund boy made a dive for the phone, hoping to catch it before it hit the boardwalk. However, a large, well-built hand caught it for him, leaving Gordie to simply fall face-first onto the wooden boards with a comical grunt.

Acting on instinct, Bea suppressed all visible emotion as she looked up at the towering form of the new arrival.

"M-Master Ferrum!" she greeted. Then, she formally bowed her head, her gray hair and black-and-orange bow hanging. "It's a pleasure to see you again, my master."

"Hmmm..."

That simple response brought chills down Bea's spine. However, she refused to surrender to her inner emotions and kept her head bowed. At the same time, Gordie shot up on his feet.

"Oh man, _thank you_ for catching my phone!" he exclaimed. "You have _no idea_ how much this means to me!"

Carter Ferrum simply looked down at Gordie, his expression ambiguous. The Throh flanking his side gave the rotund boy a simple huff. Then, with a tiny, noncommittal grunt, Carter held out the hand holding onto Gordie's phone, allowing the older boy to retrieve it.

"Quite an... _intriguing_ friend you've got there, Bea," he said, his voice low, gruff, and intimidating. "Is this the one you've told me about? The one called Ash?"

"Ash?" Bea shot her head up to look at her master. "Oh, no! _No_!" Then, she looked at Gordie, who was now preoccupied with examining his phone for any damage it might have incurred. "Although...I can't really tell if I'm pleased or dismayed to say this isn't him-"

"You've changed, Bea."

The hairs on her skin stood upright as she looked at Carter again. "I, uh, I beg your pardon, M-Ma-Master?!"

He stared down at her, his stare thorough and judgmental. "From the moment I first heard your voice, you have spoken a total of-" He paused for a quick moment, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Seventy-six words in thirteen sentences. That's an average of 5.84 words per sentence."

Throh grunted and nodded in agreement.

"O-Oh, really?" Bea asked, all the while feeling her skin crawl at Carter's effortless calculations. "T-That's...That's pretty, uh, pretty interesting to-"

"And now it's an average of six words per sentence," Carter interrupted harshly.

"Say wha?"

"In layman's terms, this has to be the most amount of words I've heard coming out of your mouth, Bea."

"O-Oh. Th-Thank you, Master... I-I guess."

Carter blinked idly at her, his stern eyes continuing to scrutinize her from head to toe. "I know your father informed me you were traveling with people this time around, Bea. I have no qualms about that. But to see them be such an influence on you and your behavior...and in _this_ manner..." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's... _disconcerting_ , to say the least."

Although Throh's expression was immovable in his gruff sternness, Bea's eyes widened at her master's remark, and even Gordie's attention was averted from his phone. Then, with pursed lips and utter humility, the female Gym Leader bowed her head again.

"I apologize, Master," she simply said.

Carter blinked again at Bea. Then, with his own lips pursed and his chin jutting out, he nodded ambivalently.

"Well, at least your sense of loyalty and respect hasn't been compromised."

Throh simply gave Bea a low grunt of agreement.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on!" Gordie cried, stepping in-between Bea and Carter. "What are you _talking_ about?! I'll have you know that Bea hasn't changed one bit since I first met her! In fact, I think she's made progress in strides throughout our journey!" He flashed Carter his phone. "And I have the vlog to prove it!"

Unbeknownst to the rotund boy, Bea was face-palming behind him. "Oh, for the love of _Arceus_ , Gordie..." she whispered harshly.

As for Carter, he narrowed his eyes even more at Gordie. In addition, Throh, responding to Gordie's sudden move, stood in-between him and his Trainer. Immediately, the boy recoiled at the hardened, terrifying gazes of both Carter and Throh, both of which proved to be intimidating enough to even make an Arbok flinch.

"Remind me your name again?" Carter asked in a low voice.

"G-G-Go-Go-Gordie," Gordie stammered.

"Gordie. Gordie... Yes, yes, I've heard of you."

"Y-You _have_?" Then, the boy tried to puff out his chest in the face of Carter's Throh, whose eyes were narrowing at him with suspicion. "Th-Then I-I'm sure you've been following me on social media."

Bea could only sigh with disapproval.

"Social media?" Carter scoffed bitterly. "I do not subscribe to the wolfish, mindless mob mentality that is the Internet."

Throh punctuated his Trainer's insult with a derisive snort.

Gordie's eyes widened. "Wolfish?! _Mindless_?!" He looked like he was at a loss for words. "Are...Are you out of your-?!"

He was immediately silenced by more sharp gazes from Carter and Throh, and the former continued speaking unabated.

"Rather, I am familiar with the important figures of the Galar League. You, Gordie, are the eldest of five children born to Melony, the Circhester Gym Leader. In fact, I have met your mother a couple of times. A respectable woman, borne from a life of responsibility and generosity. From where I'm standing, though, you do not even hold a candle to her."

Bea sighed yet again. "Oh, boy..."

Gordie opened his mouth, but no sounds came out. Instead, he awkwardly closed his mouth after a few seconds, only to reopen it, and then close it again. He repeated the cycle several more times, almost resembling a poor Magikarp out of the water, gasping for its sustenance.

Carter acknowledged Gordie's reaction for an infinitesimal second. Then, he glanced at Bea again.

"Where is your other friend, Bea?" he asked. "The one named Ash?"

Bea gulped and then cleared her throat to recompose herself. "H-He ran off, Master, to explore Bellum Town."

"To explore Bellum? Without awaiting my arrival?" Carter then let out a disappointed huff. "I invite him to this island, and the moment he arrives, the first thing he demonstrates is his inability to be punctual. I wish I could say I'm not surprised by this abject lack of respect, but...that would be a terrible lie."

Bea's fingers twitched, and she gritted her teeth behind pursed lips. Other than that, however, she did nothing to refute her master's characterization of Ash. As such, neither Carter nor Throh noticed her reaction to his statements, and they simply passed by her without giving her another glance.

"Let's find him," Carter said. "It's a small town; he couldn't have gotten far. Unless he's the type to easily get lost."

Still, Bea didn't say anything as the muscular man procured a Poké Ball from the pocket of his karategi. Then, he threw it into the air, calling out, "I require your assistance, Braviary!"

The Valiant Pokémon emerged from his Poké Ball, perching himself high on a lamppost. After letting out a caw, he turned towards his Trainer, displaying his scarred left eye for Bea and Gordie to see.

"Search the skies!" Carter ordered with a swipe of his arm. "Find Ash Ketchum. He..." He looked at Bea. "What does your friend look like?"

"U-Um, bl-black hair, br-brown eyes," Bea explained, trying her best to stay calm in her master's presence. "A-And h-he has a Pi-Pikachu on his shoulder!"

Carter blinked idly. "A Pikachu? Hmmm. I haven't encountered one of those in a while." Then, he looked back at Braviary. "You heard her, Braviary! Find them both, posthaste!"

Braviary nodded and instantly took off to the skies, scanning the crowds in the harbor and promenade below. Meanwhile, Carter and Throh already began walking, leaving Bea and Gordie in their wake. Bea stared after her master for a couple of seconds, her expression unreadable, before she started to follow him.

"H-Hold on a moment, Bea!" Gordie called, stopping her. "You're...You're just gonna let that guy _badmouth_ you, me, Ash, my followers, pr-pretty much everyone and everything?!"

"Carter's a bit tough," Bea replied, her voice suddenly in a droning tone. "He always was. But he means well-"

"Yeah, if you call _that_ 'meaning well'. Come on, I'm not taking that trash from him, and neither should y-!"

The rotund boy was quickly silenced by a glare from Bea.

"He invited us to attend the Fighting Festival, Gordie," she snarled. "He worked hard to give us free admission. The least we could do is be thankful for his efforts and accept his hospitality, no matter how... _unconventional_ it may be."

With that, she continued following Carter, with Gordie remaining behind to watch her leave for a moment. Upon realizing she had made up her mind, the rotund boy sighed and followed after her.

* * *

"Come on, you guys! Let's go check Bellum out! I wanna see the Fighting Festival in particular!"

"PIKAAAAA!"

"Hey, wait up, Ash! We're supposed to wait for-!"

But Ash didn't hear Bea. Instead, he twirled around on his heel and ran straight into the milling crowd of people and their Pokémon, quickly immersing himself in the festive, bustling atmosphere. As soon as he did, the raven-haired boy looked around in awe and wonder, observing the tourists as they took many photos, walked around, and bought items from the nearby stalls.

"Wow, look at all this, Pikachu!" Ash cried. "I haven't been to an island this loud and bright since Shamouti!"

"Pika, pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

At that moment, Ash stopped to watch as a clown and his two Pokémon, a Mr. Rime and Mr. Mime, performed for a crowd of families with children. The crowd collectively hitched its breath once the clown leaped from a tall pedestal, releasing a few multicolored balls from his hands in the process. Then, a round of enthusiastic applause broke out once Mr. Rime and Mr. Mime used their Psychic to suspend their Trainer and the balls in midair, before manipulating them to fly around in an awe-inspiring, dazzling show of colors. Ash was quick to join in the applause.

Once the applause died down to allow the clown to continue his act, Ash decided to move on, sidestepping a pair of older tourists and their weathered-looking Midday Form Lycanroc. As he walked a few feet down the packed harbor, the Trainer and Mouse Pokémon noticed a myriad of people committing themselves to diverse activities.

First, there was a young artist and her Smeargle patiently painting a caricature picture of a family and their Togepi and Azurill while both baby Pokémon chirruped and bounced happily in their owners' arms.

Then, there was a professional photographer snapping photos of a well-dressed, middle-aged tourist and her Debutante Trim and Matron Trim Furfrou; both Poodle Pokémon looked particularly smug.

Next, there was a man and his Politoed washing up an isolated section of the boardwalk, while a mother attended to her pale-faced child while he retched and clutched his stomach.

After that, there was a sneaky-looking magician playing with a stack of cards to the amazement of a small crowd while a squawking, extremely talkative Chatot remained perched on his shoulder.

Ash took note of all those people and activities, and many more, once he stepped off the harbor and entered the winding promenade, which was packed to the brim with pedestrians and vendors. A group of bicyclists pedaled past them, led by a tandem bike manned by an older man and his Hitmontop. A group of tourists were being led around an empty section of the sidewalk by a tour guide and her Aipom. Several vendors and clerks were calling out orders to customers, some of them in colorful ways.

"Look at that, Pikachu!" the raven-haired boy cried. "We're officially in Bellum Town!" With that, he stroked the underside of his partner Pokémon's chin. "So, whaddaya say? Wanna keep exploring for a bit? Or do you wanna eat something?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked while pointing towards a vendor selling cotton candy to a small line of people.

Ash beamed with enthusiasm. "Yep, I thought so!"

With the decision made, he ran up to the line, directly behind a boy with a Tyrogue standing loyally beside his leg. As the two watched the vendor whip up his latest cone of cotton candy with the help of his faithful Swirlix, Ash suddenly felt his stomach squirm and rumble uncomfortably. Sweat-dropping, he wrapped an elbow around his gut and groaned quietly.

"Man, I'm so hungry..." he said. "I should've followed Bea's advice and eaten something before we got onto the boat..."

"Pikachu," Pikachu moaned in agreement.

"I hope this line moves along fa-"

Ash paused, his auburn eyes widening and his train of thought snapping to full attention. Struggling to contain his inner panic, he reached into his pockets and groped around the fabric, only to realize the unthinkable had happened.

"Oh, no!" he cried, startling the Trainer in front of him. "I forgot my money!"

"Pika?!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Bea, do you have any-?!"

He looked beside him, only to realize for the first time that Bea wasn't with him, and neither was Gordie, for that matter. Ash gasped and looked around frantically in search of his friends, but it quickly became clear that he was all alone. With that, he hung his head low with dismay and embarrassment.

"Aw, great," he groaned. "I ran off without them. Again." He sighed heavily. "I _really_ need to stop doing that. I can only imagine the look on Bea's face when she finds out I ran off without her and Gordie again..."

_**"Are you** _ **kidding** _**me, Ash?! You ran off to explore a town you've never been to** _ **on your own** _**, without** _ **anyone** _**to guide you?! For the love of** _ **Arceus** _**! You're such a** _ **tourist** _**!"** _

The boy sweat-dropped. "The words she'd say are already so _vivid_..."

"Pika-pikachu, Pikapi," Pikachu replied with a shake of his head and a sweat-drop.

At that moment, Ash's peripheral vision noticed a cotton candy cone being offered to him.

"Here," a familiar voice said. "You can have this one, Ash."

Ash's lips curled into a relieved smile at the invitation. With that, he snatched the cone out of the person's hand and took a large bite out of it. As soon as he did, he felt his taste-buds being washed over by the nice, sweet relief of sugar, which they quickly submitted to. Once he was relieved of his hunger, Ash gratefully looked up at his savior while Pikachu leaned over to take a bite of the confection himself.

"Thank you very much!" he cried.

"Oh, you're very welcome, Ash!"

...

At that moment, Ash's mind finally processed the familiarity of his savior's voice. Blinking twice, he took another look at the person standing in front of him...and then released a loud yelp, nearly jumping backward out of his shoes in shock. It had been a couple of years since he last saw her, and he never even _expected_ to come across her again in his journey.

"K-Ko- _Korrina_?!"

The Shalour Gym Leader saluted, the cheeky grin stretching from one end of her face to the other. Her Lucario stood by her right, nodding at Ash politely with a small smile. Both of them were holding their own cotton candy cones.

"Hey-ya there, Ash!" the blonde girl greeted. "Long time, no see!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure you guys were wondering why exactly Korrina was in the character tags with Ash, Bea, and Gordie. Well, now you know. That is, if the so-called Fighting Festival wasn't a clear hint for you guys.
> 
> Anyway, here's the first official chapter for this full-length Ash/Bea adventure! I know I said there'd be Ash/Bea moments in the chapter, but after finishing this, I feel like there weren't enough to justify my advertisement. Or, at least, the kind of hints that are in-person. Sorry if you guys didn't feel fulfilled by this chapter. But I promise you, there'll be a whole lot more Ash/Bea moments in the next chapter! After all, Korrina's presence is definitely going to stir the pot.
> 
> Also, I hope you enjoyed my characterization of Gordie! Having done some research into his character, I can imagine him being adapted into a social media celebrity if he were to become a main character in the anime proper. I feel a character like him would be a breath of fresh air. And if you're not the biggest fan of social media celebrity-type characters, do not worry! He'll be receiving his own character development in this fic, and this chapter actually foreshadows it a little.


	3. Disapproval

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Before we begin, I would like to announce something very big! It has come to my attention that an upcoming "Pokémon Journeys" episode will actually feature BEA! That's right. After I ruminated about the chances of Bea actually appearing in the anime, especially in its current format, our favorite karate girl was announced to be making an appearance in the future! In the frigging flesh! I kid you not, it's like God, Allah, Buddha, Zeus, and Arceus all heard my prayers and answered them in the most epic way possible! This episode is set to air in just a few days, on August 23.
> 
> You have no idea how happy this makes me. Even if I'm not really watching the anime nowadays, I'll make an exception in this case and give that episode a look-see. Bea is just one of my favorite waifus in recent Pokémon history, and I need to see more of her in all of her animated glory! I doubt she's going to be shipped with Ash in this case, but one can only pray, right?
> 
> (God, Allah, Buddha, Zeus, Arceus, I hope you're all listening! Make it happen! :D)
> 
> Alright, I think I'm done fanboying. On with the chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> *squee*
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
> -Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
> -Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
> -Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
> -Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
> -Not sharing food and drinks with others  
> -Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
> -Avoiding close contact with others  
> -Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
> -Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
> -Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

"K-Ko- _Korrina_?!"

Korrina saluted, the cheeky grin stretching from one end of her face to the other. "Hey-ya there, Ash! Long time, no see!"

"No _way_!" Ash exclaimed, his auburn eyes shining. "What're you doing here, Korrina?!"

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked with just as much enthusiasm as his friend and Trainer.

"Grandpa and I got invited to the Fighting Festival, that's what."

Korrina reached into her pocket and began rummaging around for a few moments. However, when it was clear she could not find what she was seeking, her Lucario sighed, shook its head, and stuck its paw out for its Trainer to see. Once the girl laid her eyes on the paw, she noticed it had been carrying a single orange-and-gray ticket this entire time.

"Oh! Thanks, Lucario!" With that, she took the ticket and showed it to Ash, who was quick to notice the familiar-looking insignia of a clenched fist, its knuckles bare. "See? A special invitation ticket to the Fighting Festival in Bellum Town!"

Lucario nodded in agreement, while Ash gawked in awe at the ticket. Korrina's name was printed on it in fine ink.

"Whoa, no way!" Ash exclaimed. " _I_ have the exact same ticket as well!"

He then fished around in his pocket, eventually pulling out the ticket and proudly showing it to Korrina, who stared at it in disbelief.

"Oh, _wow_!" the Shalour Gym Leader cried in awe. "Yep, that's a Fighting Festival ticket alright! One of the VIP tickets, no less! But..." She eyed Ash curiously. "I never really pegged you to be an expert in Fighting-type Pokémon."

"Oh, I'm not!" Ash put away his ticket, all the while wearing a wide grin. "Bea is."

Korrina blinked in surprise. " _Bea_?" She surveyed the empty space around Ash, a nostalgic glimmer in her eyes. "W-What happened to Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie?"

"Oh, we parted ways after the Team Flare incident. Serena wanted to try the Pokémon Contests in Hoenn, and Clemont had to get back to being the Gym Leader of Lumiose. But I'm traveling with Bea and Gordie now. They're really nice! You should meet them!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Well, any friend of yours is a friend of mine! So..." Korrina scanned the crowds inquisitively. "Where are they?"

"W-Well..." Ash chuckled and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Y-You see, Korrina-"

A loud squawk broke his train of thought. Ash, Korrina, Pikachu, and Lucario looked up and saw a Braviary circling above them, flying really close to their heads.

"A Braviary!" Ash cried in awe.

"A Braviary?" Korrina asked. Then, out of interest, the blonde Gym Leader pulled out an orange-and-gray Rotom Phone, aimed it at the Flying-type, and scanned it.

 _ **"Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon,"**_ the device explained. _**"**_ ** _Known for its bravery and pride, this majestic Pokémon is often seen as a motif for various kinds of emblems."_**

" _Wow_!" Korrina looked down at the Rotom Phone with excitement. "Looks like this Rotom Phone thing actually works!"

Just then, the Braviary soared away with a caw, still maintaining a low altitude. Ash watched as it then fluttered over to someone's shoulder and perched on it. A minute later, two familiar people burst through the crowd, causing Ash's eyes to light up with relief.

"Bea!" he called. "Gordie! Over here!"

"Yo, Ash!" Gordie replied, running up to the Pallet Town native first. "Man, were we worried! Where _were_ you?!"

Ash chuckled nervously again. "Sorry about that, Gordie. Looks like I ran off and went exploring on my own again."

"Are you _kidding_ me, Ash?!" Bea shouted furiously, startling Ash and even Korrina. "You ran off to explore a town you've never been to _on your own_ , without _anyone_ to guide you?! For the love of _Arceus_!" With clenched fists, the tan-skinned girl began hitting Ash in the chest. "You're! Such! A! TOURIST!"

 _"Wow,"_ Ash thought in surprise, casually taking the hits like they were nothing. _"It's just like how I imagined it too."_

"Bea?" a voice called, soft and yet so cold in tone. "What is the meaning of this?"

Bea froze with a yip, her brown skin crawling, while Gordie only sighed and shook his head. Ash looked over her shoulder and saw a man approaching them, flanked by a Throh; the Braviary from before was perched on his right shoulder. Upon registering the stocky face, blue karategi, and intimidating aura, Ash's auburn eyes lit up in realization.

"Ohhh!" he exclaimed, his lips curving into an enthusiastic smile. "You must be Bea's old teacher!"

Carter Ferrum looked down at Ash and Pikachu, his face etched with disapproval, but the Pallet Town Trainer did not pick up on it.

"That I am..." Carter replied. "And you must be the boy named Ash."

"Yeah, that's me!" Ash jabbed a thumb at himself. "I'm Ash Ketchum, and this is my partner Pikachu."

The black-haired boy gestured to Pikachu, who waved and squeaked, "Pikachu!"

"Hello there..." Carter said indifferently, while Throh merely grunted. Then, they both gazed at Bea, whose back was still on them. "Bea!"

Bea rigidly stood at attention, her skin paling considerably. "EEP!"

"What have I been telling you all these years?" Carter crossed his arms. "Every time I am to address you, you are to be facing me."

"I-I apologize, Master!"

The Stow-on-Side Gym Leader immediately faced Carter, but he still pursed his lips with disapproval. This time, Ash and Pikachu were quick to pick up on the reaction.

"Bea," Carter said, his eyes narrowing, "please recite the fifth of the Eight Principles of Galar Karate."

"T-The Fifth Principle?" Bea sputtered. Then, she recited as calmly as she could, "Tr-Tranquility. I-In order to achieve this, you must internalize and ignore all sensations of negative emotion and replace it with positive logic."

"Excellent." But Carter didn't show any signs of being pleased; instead, he continued to look down on Bea. "It's just one Principle. One of the more elementary Principles, moreover...but at least your recent journey hasn't dulled your memory of my teachings. Now, do you know why I brought up the Fifth Principle, Bea?"

"I-I..." Bea started to sweat as she wracked her brain trying to figure out why, and Ash looked at her in concern. "I, uh... I..." Her shoulders started to slump in defeat. "I don't know..."

Carter's lips became even more pursed. "Perhaps I've spoken too soon about your memory, Bea."

Bea lowered her head slightly, whereupon Ash and Pikachu frowned. He sensed something insulting in Carter's tone when he spoke those words, and he didn't like where this was going.

"I observed you hitting your friend Ash in a rage," Carter continued, his voice growing sterner by the minute. "And while I assume enduring his childishness and impulsiveness for the past month was a trial for you in its own right, I sincerely believed I taught you better than to succumb to these same primitive emotions. It's... _disappointing_ to be proven wrong, at the very least."

Bea bowed her head apologetically, and with humility. However, Ash became outraged by Carter's words, and he stepped forward.

"Excuse me?" he asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. "What do you mean by-?"

But Carter ignored him and instead looked at Korrina. "Ah, Korrina."

"Good afternoon, Master Ferrum!" Korrina greeted with a cheeky smile, looking as if she never observed the exchange at all. "It's a pleasure seeing you here!"

"Likewise." Carter flatly scanned the crowd of tourists and vendors. "Where is your grandfather, if I may ask?"

"He's at the hotel, signing us in. I heard you've reserved a suite over there as well?"

"You are correct. Two, in fact." With that, Carter began walking away, his form merging into the crowd. "Come, children. I shall show you to your rooms."

Throh grunted, motivating Bea to follow after her former mentor. Ash watched his traveling companion go, baffled by her unconditional compliance with the man who discreetly insulted her. Nevertheless, he followed Bea, with Gordie, Korrina, and Lucario by his sides.

"I _know_ , right?" Gordie whispered to Ash before the Pallet Town native could even speak. "That guy was such a jerk from the moment Bea and I met him at the harbor!" He took out his Rotom Phone and waved it. "I wanted to record him and share the video to all my followers so they can cancel him like no other!"

"Something tells me he doesn't like us..." Ash replied with disappointment.

"Well, that's, like, the understatement of the _century_! I mean, seriously, what teacher in their right mind would talk that way to their _student_? To _Bea_ , no less?!"

"Carter Ferrum could, I'll tell you that," Korrina advised, catching the others' attention. "I've met him a few times before, and he's always been a strict, by-the-book kind of guy. And that's only if you are acquainted with him. I've learned to be a girl of few words around him, if I was to keep his respect and not make my grandpa angry in the process." She looked after the retreating Bea. "But I can't imagine what it'd be like, having him as a mentor..."

That was when Gordie spoke up, having noticed her for the first time. "Ah, h-hello there! Sorry, I didn't have a chance to speak to you earlier. And you are?"

"O-Oh, G-Gordie!" Ash cried, smiling when he gestured to the blonde. "Th-This is Korrina! I met her during my journey in Kalos. She's the Shalour City Gym Leader!"

"Shalour City G-" Then, the boy's eyes widened. "OMA! Are you the girl who can Mega Evolve her Lucario?!"

"Yep!" Korrina gave Gordie another one of her cheeky smiles. "That's me!"

"OMA, OMA, OMA!" The rotund boy grabbed Korrina's hands and began shaking them so energetically that he threatened to topple the Gym Leader over, alarming Lucario in the process. "I have been _dying_ to meet you in person! You're, like, a mini-celeb in my fanbase! Something to do with fandoms crossing over, I dunno, but it's such an honor to meet you!"

"Th-Th-Th-The pl-pl-ple-ple-pleas-su-su-sure's all m-m-mi-mi-mine!" Korrina cried, her voice reduced to a stutter due to the constant rocking of her body.

But Gordie didn't seem to notice his enthusiasm overwhelming her. "Ooh, that reminds me!" He brought Korrina close to him and aimed the screen of his Rotom Phone at themselves. "I have to make a video! My followers are gonna FLIP once they learn I met up with you!"

"Y-Your _followers_?"

Her eyes widening in alarm, Korrina shot Ash a look that could only be read as "Help me". Unfortunately, the Pallet Town native couldn't do a thing to help his friend. Instead, he watched as Gordie half-dragged Korrina after Carter and Bea, all the while starting his newest recording. Lucario followed after the duo, remaining concerned about Gordie's enthusiasm and his attachment to his phone.

This left Ash and Pikachu to take up the tail-end of the group. As they followed the others, Ash kept his sights on Bea as she picked up the pace behind her former mentor. He noticed how her entire posture was straight, rigid, and even tense around Carter. He had seen her extremely focused before, during her training with her Pokémon, but it was always with confidence, with an expectation for earning positive results.

This time, however, the tension he observed was not one borne out of a desire to perform above and beyond. Instead, it was borne out of _fear_. Fear towards her mentor...

_**"I observed you hitting your friend Ash in a rage. And while I assume enduring his childishness and impulsiveness for the past month was a trial for you in its own right, I sincerely believed I taught you better than to succumb to these same primitive emotions. It's...** _ **disappointing** _**to be proven wrong, at the very least."** _

_"That's not a fair thing to say to her,"_ the former Champion thought, his fists clenching in irritation. _"Sure, I've annoyed her at times. A-A lot of times, in fact! but the fact that she gets angry at me means she's a good friend who cares about me! Now what kind of friend_ wouldn't _be concerned and angry if they lost track of someone they cared about?!"_

* * *

"Here we are, children," Carter announced. "The Vecht Hotel."

" _Whoooooaaaaa_..."

" _Pikaaaaa_..."

Ash, Pikachu, Bea, and Gordie gawked at the building before them. It was a three-story, ancient-looking building made of archaic materials. Located in the middle of town, it boasted old-fashioned windows and balconies, along with a lone front door made of nicely-polished mahogany wood. There was also a humble little sign attached to the left side of the building that read 'VECHT HOTEL'. Underneath that was a newer neon sign that read 'NO VACANCY', but the word 'VACANCY' was the only one lit up, in a shade of bright-blue.

"Wait, _this_ is the hotel we're staying at?" Gordie asked incredulously.

"Yes," Carter replied. Though he wasn't looking at any specific member of the group, the others could tell he was slightly displeased by the sound of his voice. "It is the oldest hotel on the Isle of Armor. It has serviced thousands of tourists for centuries. Not to mention it is the only hotel within a reasonable price range. Bea?"

"Y-Yes, Master?!" Bea squeaked, standing at attention.

"Do you remember what I said about money and quality?"

"Money is only material, while quality is spiritual. If the charge is too high, the spirit of the one charging you can only be low."

"Excellent. And I hope you've been exercising this piece of advice day by day since our final lecture?"

"Of course!" Bea immediately sprung at the opportunity. "My friends and I sleep outdoors whenever we can."

"Oh?" Carter glanced at Ash and Gordie, one of his eyebrows arched. Throh too looked at the boys, mildly impressed. "Is that true?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Ash replied. "We've only needed to sleep at three Pokémon Centers since we all started traveling together."

"Only three Pokémon Centers?" Carter refocused on the Vecht Hotel, causing Ash and Bea to fear that was not enough to impress him. However, he remarked, "Well, at least you're exposing them to the ways of an immaterial lifestyle, Bea. It's a start."

"Th-Thank you, Master!" Bea cried with a bow of her head.

"Now then-"

"Wait, now hold on a _minute_!" Gordie piped up with a stomp of his foot.

Carter glanced back at the rotund boy, his lips pursed. Throh immediately rounded up on Gordie, backed by an instinct to protect its Trainer; this caused Gordie to recoil momentarily.

"Is there something you wish to say, Gordie?" Carter asked calmly.

Shrugging off Throh's piercing, menacing gaze, Gordie puffed out his chest at Carter, attempting to stand up to him. "I'll-I'll have you know th-that a nice, warm bed a-and a spacious homely room is just as preferable as sleeping outdoors! In fact, I'd say nothing beats the feeling of being wrapped up in a thick blanket like a Metapod, all cozy and safe inside, and then waking up the next morning to the lovely smell of hot chocolate-"

"Gordie, _please_ ," Bea hissed while angrily shaking her head, "for the love of _Arceus_..."

As for Korrina and Lucario, they looked back and forth between Gordie and Carter in sync, wondering what was about to happen next.

"Young Gordie," Carter spoke up, cutting Gordie off, "if there's something you wish to prove, then spit it out now. I'm not one for big talk, in case it didn't cross your mind."

Throh merely grunted in agreement.

Gordie pursed his lips. "Fine, then! Just because something's cheap, it doesn't mean it'll be any good! And just because a certain way of living is material, it doesn't mean it's something to look down upon!"

Carter blinked idly and looked away. "Listen here, I will not question the ways of a lifestyle full of luxury and pampering."

" _Pampering_?!" Ash and Gordie exclaimed at the same time.

"But as long as you're with me," Carter continued, undeterred by the protests, "you will learn there is more to life than a preoccupation with material objects and self-gratifying rewards such as likes and followers."

Gordie pouted furiously, but before anyone could counter Carter's points, the front door to the hotel opened up. An older man stepped out of the hotel, his balding head shining from the sunlight and his long gray eyebrows flowing with the soft breeze. Ash's eyes widened, not just out of pleasant surprise to see this man, but also out of incredulity at the unusually casual, summer-style clothing he was wearing, which juxtaposed with his stern affect.

"Ahhhhh, Carter!" the man greeted. "My dear old friend."

"Gurkinn," Carter replied tersely. He held out his hand, and Gurkinn responded by taking it in a firm handshake that was almost professional-looking, like the two men were business executives instead.

"I see the past three years have been kind to you." Gurkinn took a quick scan of Carter from head to toe. "How was your excursion to Fiore?"

"Quite enlightening. Lyra Forest is a location of silence and tranquility. I can wholeheartedly endorse it as a place to bring yourself closer to the world. Plus, I hear the climate there is good this time of the year."

"Ah, intriguing." Gurkinn's eye twinkled with curiosity. "I will keep that in mind." Then, once he broke the handshake, he noticed Throh and bowed his head at the Judo Pokémon. "Throh, it's always a pleasure to see you too."

Throh bowed his head in return with a grunt, while Carter gestured to Bea's group. "Gurkinn, allow me to introduce you to my star pupil. I believe I've mentioned her to you a few times."

"Ah yes, the one named Bea!" Gurkinn stepped forward and prepared to hold out his hand towards Bea. "It is a pleasure to-" His eye met Ash's, and he stopped in his tracks with disbelief. " _Ketchum_? _Ash_ Ketchum?"

"Hey there, Gurkinn!" Ash replied with a wide smile and an energetic wave. "Long time, no see!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu added in a cheerful squeak.

"Hm?" Carter looked back and forth between Gurkinn and Ash. "Do you _know_ this young man, Gurkinn?"

"Why, yes. He's a good friend of my granddaughter's." Ignoring Carter, Gurkinn took Ash's hand and shook it. "How are you and your Pikachu doing these days, Ash?"

"We're doing well, Gurkinn, thanks for asking!" exclaimed Ash.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Good. I wouldn't expect anything less from the savior of Kalos."

Carter arched an eyebrow. "He _saved_ Kalos?"

"Yes, a couple of years ago." Gurkinn turned towards the other man. "You remember the Team Flare incident? He and my granddaughter were key players in the fight against them."

Carter blinked slowly. "I...didn't know that..."

"Neither did _I_..." Bea shot a venomous glare at Ash, causing his skin to crawl. "When were you gonna tell me this, Ash?"

"I-I dunno," Ash replied while scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "H-Honestly, s-saving Kalos a-and the world i-isn't really something to brag about-"

"What?!" Korrina interrupted. She was glaring at Ash as well, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull. "You're telling me you never told your new friends about _that_?!"

"Ummm..." Ash thought about it for a moment. "Y- _Yeah_ , pr-pretty much..."

" _Huuuuh_?!" Gordie cried, shoving Korrina aside so he could get up in his friend's face. "Why _wouldn't_ you?! I mean, what person _wouldn't_ brag about that sort of thing?!" He abruptly grabbed Ash's shoulders and shook him slightly. "Ahhhhhhh, why in the world didn't you mention _that_ when we first met?! Do you have _any_ idea the number of new followers I would have gotten every day if everyone knew I was hanging out with the freaking _savior of Kalos_?!"

Ash shrugged himself out of Gordie's grasp. Then, he gave his friend and traveling companion a soft smile of humility.

"You heard Gurkinn. Korrina played a part in the crisis too, along with many other people. I don't really deserve all of the credit. In fact, I didn't really do much-"

"Are you _kidding_ me, Ash?!" Korrina interrupted. "You were the one who saved Chespie from the heart of that monster!"

"With Alain's help. In fact, _he's_ the one who got Chespie out, not me. I was just covering him."

"But at least _you_ had the courage to go in there with him in the first place!" Korrina cried. She grabbed Ash's hands and held them close to her heart, causing Bea to gag. " _I_ was the one covering you two. And I didn't do much in that regard."

"What're you talking about?!" Ash cried, his face beaming. "You were awesome, Korrina!"

Korrina's face suddenly lit up with energy. "Really? Y-You think so?!"

"Yeah! You and everyone else gave it your all that day!" He parted from Korrina's grasp and raised a clenched fist. "That is why I never mentioned it to Bea and Gordie, because no matter what anyone else says about it, no matter how minor our individual roles were, you can't deny the fact that we all played a part in stopping Team Flare. And why should I take all the credit and be called awesome when it was just a team effort?!"

"O-Oh!" Korrina blushed slightly, which Bea was quick to notice. "Th-That's true! Thank you, Ash!"

"It doesn't _matter_!" Gordie wailed, his expression wracked with utter despair now. "Even so, you should've told us about this in the first place, Ash!"

"Oh..." Ash rubbed the back of his head and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Gordie. I guess I just don't like to talk about these things either..."

Carter's eyebrows shot upward upon hearing this. But before he could say anything in response, Gurkinn let out a round of laughter as he patted Ash on the back.

"Ahhh, you've always been such a humble young man," the former Successor said. "It's no wonder Korrina likes you!"

"Gr-Gr- _Grandpa_!" Korrina exclaimed, her face now a shade of hot-pink.

"Wh-Wh- _What_?!" Bea shrieked, her face now as red as a Tamato Berry.

"Bea!" Carter snapped, shooting a glare of stern disapproval at his disciple's direction. "Control your emotions!"

"S-So-Sorry, Master." But Bea still looked incredulous at Gurkinn's admission. "I-I mean...wh- _whaaaaa_...?"

But Gurkinn seemed to have forgotten what he just said, for the former Successor's eyes lit up in remembrance while he checked his wristwatch. "Ah, I just remembered!" He looked at his granddaughter. "Korrina, why don't you show Ash and his friends around? I need to make the necessary arrangements for tomorrow."

"S-Sure thing, Grandpa..." Korrina replied, her cheeks still left in a pinkish hue from what Gurkinn had said earlier.

"Okay. Remember, our suite is 3192." Gurkinn then focused on Carter. "Ah, my sincerest apologies, Carter, but I must be going. I'm due for an appointment with the Festival organizers in a half-hour."

"Yes, of course." Carter bowed his head. "It is always prudent to remain punctual. I assure you, your granddaughter will be under my care for the time being."

Gurkinn chuckled. "My, my, I see your firmness and resolve haven't changed one bit." Then, he scanned the entire group with a weathered grin. "I'll see you children in the evening. We'll have plenty of time to catch up and make introductions then."

"Bye, Grandpa!" Korrina cried, waving alongside her Lucario as the old man began walking down the sloping street.

"Pika-pikaaa!" Pikachu squeaked, waving at the departing Gurkinn as well.

Before Ash and the others could watch Gurkinn make his departure, Carter proceeded towards the hotel, saying, "Alright, children, let's get you all signed into your room."

He approached the front door and opened it, allowing Throh to step inside. Then, he held it open for Ash and the others. Korrina and Lucario were the first to enter, followed by Gordie, who was muttering under his breath about Carter's earlier comments on luxury and pampering.

Finally, Ash and Bea stepped inside the hotel lobby, side by side. It looked rather dull and uninteresting, with beige walls, a couple of paintings of the Isle's landscape, and ancient-looking tables. It was also smaller compared to the lobby of an average Pokémon Center, giving off a rather cramped atmosphere. Once the two entered, Bea was glancing at Ash with wonder.

"Hey, Ash?" she asked, as soon as the cool blast of the active air conditioner hit her.

"Yeah, Bea?" Ash replied, having just finished scratching Pikachu's chin.

"...Seriously, why _didn't_ you tell me- I-I mean, _us_ , that you saved Kalos two years ago?"

"It's like I said earlier, I don't really like to talk about these things." Ash chuckled lightly. "Plus, you know me. Saving the day every week is pretty much my forte at this point."

"Y-Yeah, th-that's true..."

Bea's mind immediately flashed back to all of the times Ash jumped in to help a person or Pokémon in need. It was like helping others was an innate instinct of his. And many times did he risk his life in the process. He nearly got ran over by a flock of rolling Wooloo. He got electrocuted AND poisoned by a Toxel. He was nearly eaten alive by a school of Arrokuda and Barraskewda. He was nearly pecked to death by a flock of Corvisquire. He was caught in the middle of a nasty battle between a Gigantamax Coalossal and Sandaconda.

The list just went on and on and ON. To know that Ash participated in a world-changing event such as the Kalos incident should've been surprising to Bea...but after all that she had been through with him, it really wasn't.

"I've been meaning to ask about that, Ash Ketchum," Carter suddenly piped up.

In fact, he spoke up so abruptly that Bea yipped and straightened up. "M-Ma-Master?!"

" _Relax_ , Bea." However, Carter maintained his focus on Ash. "I witnessed the events of the crisis unfold on live television. But I never got a good look at those who participated in the fight. All I knew was that the Gym Leaders of Kalos, plus an Elite Four member and two Champions, played integral roles."

The door to the hotel closed behind Carter as he stared down upon Ash and Pikachu. The two couldn't help but feel as if they were shrinking under his stern, relentless gaze.

"It is truly... _fascinating_ to know that a person such as yourself would have been the key to decide the fate of the world," Carter concluded.

"A-A person...s-such as _myself_?" Ash repeated, startled by the choice of words.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked.

Carter didn't speak anymore. He simply passed Ash and Bea to rejoin Throh and walk up to the front desk, where an old, exhausted-looking secretary was playing an online Pokémon trading card game. But Ash tore his gaze away from Carter and looked at Bea.

"A person such as myself?" he said again with incredulity.

"That's Master's way of saying you're impressive," clarified Bea.

" _Yeah_..." Ash's auburn eyes then narrowed with concern. "Speaking of which, what's up with him?"

"Who, Master?" Bea blinked and looked at Carter, who was patiently trying to get the secretary's attention. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ash-"

"You know what I'm talking about." Ash stood in front of Bea, preventing her from stepping forward. "Bea, how could you let him speak to you, speak to _all of us_ , in that tone? To put it mildly, he's...pretty _insensitive_ -"

"You have to understand, Ash," Bea interrupted, her voice stern. "Master Carter was raised to lead the traditional lifestyle of a Galar Karateka. You think _I_ am the pinnacle of Galar Karate? Well, once the Fighting Festival's over and we leave the Isle of Armor, you'll find that my interpretation of the Galar Karate rules and principles is pretty liberal."

"All the more reason for you to stand up to him and his beliefs! Look, I know he's your teacher and all, but-"

"But what?" She crossed her arms. "Did you even listen to a word I just said, Ash?"

"I did, Bea!"

"No, you didn't!"

Absolute incredulity started to fill Ash's face, something Pikachu was pretty quick to notice. Sensing the tenseness of the entire conversation, the Mouse Pokémon chose to hop off his friend's shoulder and join Gordie and Korrina.

"Look," Ash replied, "I just can't believe you're willingly taking all of that criticism from-"

"You think that criticism was horrible?" Bea interrupted. "You should've seen me while I was under his tutelage. He was a tough teacher, Ash. _Very_ tough. He was the kind of teacher who'd make you keep on training even if every bone in your body was broken. And he had no room for emotion. No room for appreciation. No room for generosity. He only expected the best of the best. Add that to the training regiment I went through, Ash."

"That..." The former Champion's eyes were wide with horror. "That's _horrible_!"

"It was." But Bea raised a clenched fist, her face hardened with resolve. "But even so, he's the person who made me who I am today. He taught me everything I know. He saw my potential and brought it out the only way he could. I would not be here if it wasn't for him."

"B-But Bea-"

"You may disagree with his teaching methods, Ash. You don't have to like him because of his personality. You or Gordie. I too have my reservations. But no matter what, I am _not_ going to sever my ties with Master Carter just because he said a couple of things that sound off-color to you."

" _Off-color_?!" Ash was outraged by Bea's attitude at this point. "Bea, he just-"

Bea lowered her fist, but it was still clenched. "I would appreciate it if we stopped talking about it altogether now."

"But _Bea_ -"

" _Ash_."

Ash was silenced by Bea's narrowed eyes. He stared into her cold gray pupils and could see the raging fire burning within them. At that moment, the Pallet Town native knew better than to press on the issue further, lest he wanted to keep one of his limbs out of commission for a whole week. So, with gritted teeth, the boy averted his gaze from his friend, his own fists clenching.

"Is there a problem over there?" a familiar voice asked.

Ash held back a furious growl as he looked up at Carter. The karategi-clad man was staring at him and Bea with his usual cold gaze, his Throh standing beside him in an intimidating pose.

"No, Master," Bea replied, her voice reverting to its usual stoic tone. "Everything's just fine."

With a frustrated sigh, Ash walked over to where Pikachu, Gordie, Korrina, and Lucario were, a table with a stand full of travel brochures. Upon noticing his friend and Trainer approaching, Pikachu smiled.

"Pikapi!" The Mouse Pokémon scurried up to Ash's shoulder, only to notice the irritated look on the Trainer's face. "Pika?"

Gordie turned, a brochure in his hands, and was quick to notice Ash's expression as well. "Yeah, I know. That Carter guy is a total douche, isn't he? And he's got Bea under his spell or something. It's weird."

"L-Look, we're only here for the weekend, right?" Ash flashed Gordie a small smile, an attempt at being optimistic. "We'll just need to tolerate this guy for a couple of days, and then we'll be outta his hair. We'll get back on with our journey like nothing ever happened."

"Sounds like a done deal." Then, Gordie craftily pulled out his Rotom Phone. "But just so you know, Ash, I'll be recording his sorry lil' butt ever chance I can. Ohhhhh, I can't _wait_ till I find something scandalous that I can show on the Internet! My fans'll have a _fit_ , and then he'll-"

"Ah, come on, you guys," Korrina interrupted, her eyes rolling in disbelief as she lowered the brochure she was reading. "Carter Ferrum's not _that_ bad of a guy."

Gordie rolled his eyes as he put his phone back in his pocket. "Yeah, says the gal whose grandfather is all chummy with him in the first place."

"My family has had a long history with the Galar Karateka. And let me tell you, most, if not _all_ , of the Karateka that I've met are that way, in some form or another." The Shalour Gym Leader then glanced at Bea, who was helping Carter catch the attention of the absentminded secretary. "Your friend Bea must be an exception if she's been traveling with you two for so long."

"Bea's a great person," Ash replied, his voice firm and filled with conviction. "Tough, strong, and reliable. I don't see why she's becoming putty in this guy's hands."

"Pika..." Pikachu added in confusion as he trained his eyes on the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader.

Korrina put her hands on her hips. "Look, Ash, I know you've never really been one with tradition, so I'm just gonna just say this: after a couple of days, I think you'll understand _exactly_ what's going on between Bea and Carter."

Ash looked at his old friend. "Well, why don't you just explain it now?"

"Well, something tells me you don't know a lot about the Galar Karateka-"

"Yeah, I do! They're like what the Aura Guardians were, the old protectors and peacekeepers of Galar!"

Korrina crossed her arms. "Then I assume you know what the Eight Principles of Galar Karate are?"

Ash opened his mouth, but no words came out of it. His memory came at an abrupt standstill.

The blonde girl pressed on. "How about the journey of the first Galar Karateka, Siba?"

Still, Ash didn't have a response for her.

"The legend of the first Fighting-type Pokémon to be trained?"

"Ummmmm..."

Ash looked toward Gordie for help, but he too looked just as dumbfounded.

"The story of how the first Karateka Council was founded?" Korrina asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Pikaaaaa..." Pikachu said, confused.

Korrina rolled her eyes. "Or how about the legend of the Isle of Armor?"

"This place has a _legend_?" Gordie asked.

" _Hello_! It's the reason why the Fighting Festival was founded in the first place. Bea _had_ to have told you that at the very least." Korrina looked from Ash to Gordie and back with disbelief. "She _didn't_?"

"I tried telling them," a voice said. Ash and Gordie stood upright at attention as Bea walked up to the group, her tanned face shooting the boys a dissatisfied look. " _They_ kept spacing out. _This one_ -" She pointed at Ash. "Kept yapping on 'bout how he'd have some great battles, while _that one_ -" She pointed at Gordie next. "Had his face stuck in his phone twenty-four seven."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Korrina replied with an amused smile. Then, she noticed Carter and his Throh approaching and smiled at them cheekily. "Didja sign yourselves in?"

"Yes," Carter replied stoically, "after some... _urgent_ prodding."

Gordie could only suppress a derisive snort. Fortunately, the man did not notice; instead, he began walking towards the staircase, which appeared to look rundown.

"Come, children," he continued. "Allow me to show you to your room."

"Agh, _finally_!" Gordie muttered under his breath. "Let's hope the room is passable compared to the looks of this lobby..."

The rotund boy was the first to follow Carter up the staircase, something he immediately began to regret once he heard the loud, awkward creaking noise that ensued from every step he took. Throh followed close behind, then Bea, and then Korrina and Lucario.

Finally, Ash took his first step on the staircase, but he ignored the ominous creaking. Instead, he momentarily watched Korrina as she made her ascent. Then, he focused his gaze on Bea, who was following her master's every movement as he led the way.

 _"Well, come to think of it,"_ he thought, _"Bea never_ did _tell me a lot about the ways of the Galar Karateka. Or she did and I just wasn't listening... Maybe if I had listened, then I probably would have learned something about them... Understood them..."_

_**"It's...** _ **disappointing** _**to be proven wrong, at the very least."** _

Ash stared at the ascending form of Carter, whose expression was cold, stoic, and lifeless as usual. It was just like Bea's default expression, only it seemed more colder and judgmental, unlike the analytical feeling Bea's exuded. The sight of it made him clench his fists in anger.

_"No... Even so, there's no excuse to treating your old student like that. Something else is going on, something between the two of them, and I'm gonna find out what it is, for Bea's sake!"_

* * *

**_"I'm sorry, Master!_ _I'm sorry! I couldn't be strong for you! I couldn't be strong! I...I failed you, Master! I failed!"_ **

That was the first thing Kubfu remembered as he slowly regained consciousness. With a moan, he instinctively held onto the Braviary's plumage as the Valiant Pokémon followed its flock across the expansive landscape of the Isle of Armor. The lead Braviary cawed mightily as they all soared past a towering mountain and towards the rooftops of Bellum Town.

_**"Ugh..."** _

Kubfu slowly began to process more of his surroundings. The cool rush of air blowing against his light-brown fur, the cold sensation of water pooling around the corners of his eyes, the shapeless lights and colors bursting through the blurry veil of his vision...

But all he could think about his master, and how he left her all alone to fend for herself, like a worthless coward...

_**"Master..."** _

He felt his grip loosen on the Braviary.

_**"I fled the fight, Master..."** _

Not that he cared.

_**"I left you by yourself, when you needed me the most..."** _

All motivation left Kubfu's body, and he allowed the forces of nature to dictate what happened next.

_**"I'm not worthy to be your student, Master. I'm not worthy of my title, my destiny..."** _

Within seconds, the limp Kubfu fell off Braviary. He could feel the blasts of air rippling below him, hear the chaotic vortex of sound envelop him.

_**"I should just..."** _

Through the cacophony of noises all around him, Kubfu could overhear the sounds of humans below him. There seemed to be a festive mood in the air, a jarring mood compared to how he approached certain doom.

_**"I should just..."** _

Kubfu didn't bother anymore. Instead, he closed his eyes and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of this chapter! Looking at this again, this was probably not my best chapter, not by a long shot. Then again, if you followed my profile, then you will know I was writing this in the midst of a historic California heat wave. And I definitely don't do well with hot environments, for they make me pretty sluggish. Gotta love those California heat waves, am I right?!
> 
> Anyway, we start to know a little bit more about Bea and Carter's relationship, but Ash and Gordie still refuse to take any attitude from Carter. Will they patch things up by the end for this fic?! Meanwhile, we see another familiar face lounging around in Bellum Town! Now, I'm not going to spoil things, but Korrina and Gurkinn aren't the only familiar faces we'll be seeing in the Isle of Armor! ;)
> 
> As for Kubfu, keep your fingers crossed for his well-being! Let's hope he's okay...
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	4. Legend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Tragically, I STILL have yet to watch the anime episodes featuring Bea, but I've been keeping myself well-informed through Bulbapedia. And I must say, I LOVE what I'm hearing about how the anime chose to portray Bea! Ohhhhhhhh, if only they made her a traveling companion for Ash! Sweet Arceus in Heaven, why is the anime so opposed to have active female main characters nowadays?! Well, at least this AU seeks to compensate for that, and then some! ;D ;D ;D
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
> -Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
> -Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
> -Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
> -Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
> -Not sharing food and drinks with others  
> -Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
> -Avoiding close contact with others  
> -Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
> -Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
> -Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

"Okay... This room doesn't look... _too_ bad..."

Gordie was the first to step into the hotel room. He had his Rotom Phone on and was currently recording the entirety of the room, choosing to do a sweep of it from left to right. Ash entered next, and he scanned the room as well. While it did not look particularly outstanding compared to a Pokémon Center, it didn't look like it was dilapidated or out of use for a long period of time either. The surrounding walls were colored in a hue of pale-yellow, and the two beds were of average size, capable of holding one person each and nothing more.

Ash then focused on the folding doorway at the opposite side of the room. It was closed and locked, but judging by what he observed outside, it likely led to one of the Vecht Hotel's many balconies. He approached a bedside table and opened its lone drawer, which revealed a key inside. Acting on a hunch, the Pallet Town native took it, inserted it into the keyhole of the other doorway, and unlocked it. Once he did, he folded the doors open, and what he saw next truly stunned him.

It was an unobstructed view of Bellum Town in all of its glory. Ash could see the vast expanse of land; the rows and rows of buildings and structures comprising the town; and all the way down to the man-made harbor from which he, Bea, and Gordie came.

"Well," Ash piped up, "it certainly beats sleeping in the middle of Obstagoon territory."

"Pika," Pikachu replied in agreement.

Though he saw the view as well, Gordie tightly pursed his lips with apprehension. With a noncommittal, judgmental hum, he then approached one of the beds and tested the firmness of its mattress. Once he did, he pursed his lips even tighter.

"The bed's not soft, though," he remarked.

Then, he sauntered across the room, towards the bathroom, leaving Ash to approach the other bed. As the raven-haired boy tested the mattress's firmness, he overheard Gordie gasping, then grunting with disappointment.

"This bathroom's small and cramped!" the rotund boy called. "It doesn't even look like anyone's cleaned it in weeks! The toilet can barely fit between the tub and the sink! UGH!"

Ash blinked in surprise, his auburn eyes still trained on the mattress. "Wait, whaddaya mean the bed's not soft, Gordie?!" he called. "This one's pretty soft."

"It is?" Gordie poked his head out of the bathroom doorway, just in time to see Ash pushing down on the mattress with a calloused hand, confirming its softness. "Awwww, jeez! One bed's firm and the other's soft. Where'd they pluck the beds from, a landfill?!"

"Aw, come on, Gordie. At least we've got a good view of the town!"

"Yeah, because our room's in the top floor..." The rotund boy stepped out of the bathroom, his flabby skin crawling with utter disgust and discomfort. He promptly began recording himself with his phone as he began poking at both of the bed mattresses, testing their individual firmness for himself. "Yeesh! This place is _so_ going on _Hotel Horrors_."

"Ahem."

Ash looked towards the doorway and saw Korrina standing there, her hands on her hips. Her Lucario coolly stood beside her, his eyes closed.

"Hey, Korrina!" he greeted with a smile.

"Hey," Korrina replied, though she continued watching Gordie as he filmed every nook and cranny of the room. "Uh, does your friend do this _all_ the time?"

"Hm?" Ash looked at Gordie as well, just in time to see him apprehensively open the drawer for a dressing table, as if he was expecting an Ariados to be hidden inside, waiting to pounce. "Yeah. He's a vlogger. He's recording our entire journey through Galar."

"A vlogger, huh?" Korrina smiled nostalgically. "I remember trying to introduce Grandpa to Pokévision. By the time I was done, he looked like his head was about to explode like a bomb!"

Ash struggled to contain a snicker. "To be honest, things like that aren't my style either. I prefer to be out in nature for as long and as much as possible."

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu squeaked.

Korrina nodded. "Yeah, so I've noticed. So many times too."

"Heh heh heh." Then, once his chuckling died down, Ash shrugged hopefully. "But, I suppose learning stuff like vlogging has its uses too." In that moment, the boy noticed a peculiar absence and looked over Korrina's shoulder. "Hey, uh, have you seen Bea?"

"Bea? Oh." Korrina pointed to her right, further down the hallway outside. "She's staying in the next room. That's where Carter's staying at too."

Ash's bright expression immediately fell upon hearing that name. He could imagine Bea being stuck in the room next to his, being chewed out by her mentor at every opportunity. It was an unbearable thought to have, knowing the strict and no-nonsense yet kind and insightful girl was sharing the same space as someone so ruthlessly judgmental.

"Oh..." he said.

Korrina immediately noticed Ash's downcast expression and furrowed her brow with concern. Then, she put her finger on her chin and began quickly thinking of something. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she snapped her fingers.

"Ah-ha!" she exclaimed with a bright smile.

Ash's head perked up like an alert Watchog. "Ah-ha? Whaddaya mean 'ah-ha'?"

"You know, since Bea never told you about the legend of the Isle of Armor, I might as well do it myself!"

"The legend of the Isle of Armor?!" As expected, Ash's attention was piqued, and all thoughts about Bea were forced to the rearmost corner of his mind. "Wow! Tell us all about it, Korrina!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu cried with excitement. His beady auburn eyes were gleaming with wonder.

"The legend of the Isle of Armor, ehhh?" asked Gordie. His attention was finally averted from the dressing table, and he aimed his Rotom Phone in Korrina's direction. "Now _this_ is something that I should record for my fans' enjoyment!"

Korrina's smile became brighter. "That's awesome! Well, then-"

She was about to begin her explanation when she felt a finger tap on her shoulder. The Shalour Gym Leader turned and saw, to her surprise, Bea standing right behind her. Her expression was cold and stoic as usual, but her frown was more pronounced, indicating her annoyance. Beside her right leg was her ever-trusty Machop; she had evidently summoned it from its Poké Ball in her own hotel room.

"Hold on there, _Korrina_ ," the tan-skinned girl said, sounding as calm as one can be in her situation. "If anyone's going to recount the Isle of Armor's legend, it will be me, a girl experienced in the ways of the Galar Karateka. Not some glorified girl with a Lucario."

"...I'm gonna ignore that last sentence," Korrina replied. She stepped aside, allowing Bea and Machop to enter the hotel room. "B-By all means, though."

"Hmph."

"Hey, Bea!" Gordie greeted, just as he began recording with his Rotom Phone. "B-By the way, could you complain to your mentor that the quality of the beds is inconsistent and-"

"I'll do no such thing, Gordie," interrupted Bea. "I happened to overhear your curiosity about the legend, and after many botched attempts at educating you tourists-" She shot Ash and Pikachu an irritated glance. "-All there is to know about the island, I am going to seize this opportunity to finally do so. Nothing more, nothing less."

Ash and Pikachu both chuckled at the same time and sheepishly scratched their cheeks.

"S-Sorry for ignoring you all those other times, Bea..." Ash said.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu added apologetically.

"Hrm..."

Bea promptly walked over to the center of the room and sat down, making sure her legs were crossed. Machop followed suit, and the Superpower Pokémon and its Trainer then looked up at Ash, Gordie, and Korrina with expectant looks. In an instant, Korrina and Lucario sat close to Bea, and that was when Ash and Gordie realized what they were expected to do. In a rushed manner, the two boys sat around to Bea as well, with the group quickly forming a circle. Ash sat right beside Bea and looked into her face, his auburn eyes gleaming with enthusiasm, something Bea was forced to ignore.

"You guys are all aware of the legendary birds, I assume?" she asked.

"Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres?" Gordie replied. "Well, who _hasn't_?"

"I've met them several times before," Ash piped up.

"Pika, pikachu," Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

Korrina and Gordie glanced at Ash incredulously, with the latter instinctively aiming his phone at him. Bea too gawked at her traveling companion for a moment before clearing her throat, catching the attention of the others.

"A-Anyway," she said, "they play a significant role in the legend. Normally, the legendary birds do not reside on the Isle of Armor, or anywhere else in Galar, for that matter. But they have been here once before, many millennia ago. And that was because of the calamity that befell the Isle."

"Calamity?" Ash asked, piqued.

Bea nodded. "The Dark Titans."

"The...Dark Titans...?" asked Gordie. Then, his eyes started to widen. "Wait, don't tell me-"

"I'm afraid so." Bea clenched her fists, just as a sensation of foreboding fell upon the room. "They're dark counterparts of the legendary birds, hailing from an alternate reality that is the complete opposite of ours in every way."

"An alternate reality?" Ash asked incredulously.

"Pika?!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Yes. A reality where evil reigns supreme. And to think, the Dark Titans were only a fragment of that reality that had only managed to make its way into ours through a cavalcade of statistical anomalies. We were quite lucky all those years ago, because the Dark Titans were powerful in their own right too.

"First there was Dark Moltres, the Fiery Demon. It was a master of dark energy, and it was guided by its emotions, which comprised nothing more than rage, hatred, envy. Wherever it went, death and misery followed. It thrived from suffering, which it inflicted many times over on many communities.

"Then there was Dark Zapdos, the Electric Brute. It couldn't fly for long periods of time like the other Dark Titans...but it made up for this shortcoming with its breakneck speed. And then there was its need to challenge others and defeat them in battle, no matter what the cost was. It was bloodthirsty in that regard.

"And finally, there was the worst Dark Titan of all. Dark Articuno, otherwise known as the Cold Warlock. Dark Moltres and Dark Zapdos were insatiable, uncontrollable, and feared on their own. But Dark Articuno, it was the only one that could reign both in, and that was when they were at their absolute worst. And even without Dark Moltres and Dark Zapdos, the worst of them all would have to be Dark Articuno, because while the other two preferred physical combat, Dark Articuno simply _relished_ in psychological warfare. It was able to penetrate the minds of its opponents and torture them with their worst fears or greatest insecurities."

"Arceus," Gordie commented. "All three of them sound truly _awful_ on their own."

"They were," replied Bea. "And with their three powers combined, they were able to devastate the Isle of Armor dozens of times over. The real legendary birds tried to intervene, but they were no match to the powers of their dark, alternate counterparts. And the Dark Titans were ready to inflict that same kind of destruction across the globe too, had Urshifu and the Hero not arrived."

"Urshifu and the Hero?" Ash repeated, intrigued.

"Yes. Back then, they were like a Trainer and their Pokémon, but they were more than just that. They were members of the Galar Karateka. Extremely skilled members. Even Master Carter would bow before them in respect."

Ash shifted uncomfortably at the sound of Carter's name, but he allowed Bea to continue.

"Using their skills in Galar Karate, Urshifu and the Hero defeated the Dark Titans and sealed them away in three spheres. The Hero found the perfect hiding spots for those spheres and hid them there. Legend has it that those spheres are still somewhere on the Isle, hidden from the scrutiny of the public."

"I sense a but coming up!" Gordie remarked.

Bea glared at him with a disapproving frown. " _But_ , in spite of this victory, Urshifu and the Hero knew, deep down in their hearts, that this concealment wouldn't last forever. They only managed to weaken the Dark Titans, not send them back to the reality from which they came. They knew the Dark Titans would recover from their wounds one of these days, and when they did, they would rise again and try to what they had started. So they started teaching Urshifu's child, Kubfu-"

"Wait, Urshifu had a _child_?" Ash interrupted.

"Pika?!" Pikachu squeaked.

" _Yes_." Bea shot the two of them another disapproving frown. "Don't tell me you two forgot all about evolution."

"Heh heh heh..." Ash sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I mean, I've never seen an Urshifu before, I assumed it would be one of those rare Pokémon with no evolved or pre-evolved forms."

"Well, Urshifu does have a pre-evolved form, and its name is Kubfu."

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry for doubting you, Bea."

Bea pursed her lips ambiguously before continuing. "A- _Anyway_ , as I was saying, Urshifu's child Kubfu began learning the ways of Galar Karate from its parent and the Hero. It even began learning the most mystical and antiquated techniques, stuff that only the most dedicated and traditional of Galar Karateka would pursue. It honed its talents and trained itself to the bone until it evolved into another Urshifu and had a Kubfu child of its own."

"And lemme guess," Gordie piped up. "This new Urshifu taught its child everything it knew about Galar Karate too."

Bea shot Gordie an annoyed glance, but she replied, "Yeah. It's a process that's continued for many generations, to this day. Even after the numbers of the Galar Karateka dwindled to what you see today, there's an Urshifu training its Kubfu child somewhere on the Isle."

" _Really_?" Ash asked, his auburn eyes gleaming with awe.

"Or so the legend goes." Bea glanced out of the open balcony. "No one's seen an Urshifu or a Kubfu for a long time ago. No one's even seen the spheres that the Dark Titans were locked away in. The Hero hid them away really good. Suffice to say, no one's worried about them nowadays."

"Wait, what about the Hero?" Ash asked curiously. "What happened to him? Or her?"

"...They died, obviously."

Ash sweat-dropped with embarrassment. "O-Oh. I-I was just, well... I was expecting something more about the Hero in the legend, but-"

Bea cut him off. "If you're talking about some prophecy that says whoever gets to control Urshifu, they become the next Hero, then you can forget about it, Ash. Other legends featuring Urshifu describe it as a fiercely independent Pokémon. It wouldn't bend over for just anyone. It only trusts those who adhere to the old ways of the Galar Karate."

"Wow," Gordie replied sardonically. "Sounds like your precious mentor Carter would fit that bill quite nicely..."

Bea closed her eyes. "I appreciate the praise, Gordie, but even Master Carter would not live up to an Urshifu's standards. A person who could ever hope to command an Urshifu must be knowledgeable of even the most outdated and antiquated of Galar Karate principles and techniques. For example, this person must be spiritually pure and have shunned all of his worldly, material possessions in favor of complete immersion with nature. In layman's terms, he must spend his days in the forest, meditating, with no home to go to."

"And you mean to tell us that your mentor doesn't do any of that stuff?"

"He goes home to his handmade hut in the woods when night sets in."

"A handmade hut would count as a _home_?!" Gordie aimed his Rotom Phone at himself. "Didja hear _that_ , guys? The Galar Karateka sure were _crazy_ in the old days!"

"They weren't crazy at all, Gordie." Bea opened her eyes and glanced at her traveling companion with disapproval. "Galar Karate, during its formative years, was about completely purifying one's heart and soul through a spiritual union with the lands, seas, and skies. That spiritual union is called...well, a Union. And a Union isn't something that can't be formed so easily. Galar Karateka spend their entire lives immersing themselves in nature, with the hopes of establishing it, and only a select few have reported success."

"What's this Union like?" asked Ash.

"The Galar Karateka are bound by law to not say a thing about it, Ash," Korrina replied. "Everything that we know about what happens comes from secondhand accounts, and those are pretty vague too."

"Galar Karateka who succeed in establishing a Union are reported to have transcended the boundaries of time and space whenever they form a spiritual union with nature," Bea added. "They forget all of the concepts that anchor other people to the world, like truth and ideals, life and death, tradition and modernity. If I were to describe it as a sensation, it'd be like...feeling as if you're sitting outside of the Universe."

Ash blinked, impressed. "Oh, wow..."

"Pika..." Pikachu added with awe.

The boy's intrigue was escalating by the second. "How does someone go about doing that? Forming this Union?"

"You can forget about it, Ash," Bea replied flatly. "It's just like I said earlier, you have to forget about everything you love and cherish, and just let your surroundings take over."

" _Really_? I have to forget about _everything_ I love? Even my friends and family?"

"Yes, even them."

"Even Pokémon battles?"

"Yes, even that."

"Even Pikachu?"

"Yes. Even him."

Ash looked at Pikachu disbelievingly. "Wow... I...I can't imagine even forgetting about _Pikachu_..."

"Pika-pikachu, Pikapi," Pikachu replied.

"To walk the path of Galar Karate, the _old_ Galar Karate, requires an unspeakable amount of personal sacrifice," explained Bea. "In the ancient world, there wasn't a lot of material possessions and concerns at stake, so it was relatively easy for someone to commit themselves to establishing a Union, should they decide to pursue that path. Even the most average person could have pulled it off. But with the modernization of human civilization, it became harder for people to let go of the things they cherished."

"And that's why Galar Karate became more of a casual pastime than a grand pursuit to many," a new voice said abruptly. Everyone glanced at the doorway and saw-

"Master Carter," Bea greeted. She stood on her feet and bowed, as did her Machop.

Carter nodded back. "I see you're educating your friends on the history of our school."

"Yes. They were asking about the legend behind the Isle of Armor, so I decided to inform them about it."

"So I've heard." Carter stared at Ash and Gordie. "Do not be carried away on whether the legend is authentic or not. It's less of a legend and more of a fable for those who strive to establish their own Union. Something to encourage them and keep their morals consistent."

"Well, we were just curious-" began Ash.

"You wished to see an Urshifu and a Kubfu in person, did you?" Carter interrupted.

"H-Huh? We-Well, y- _yeah_." Ash raised a clenched fist and gave Bea's mentor a determined smile. "I've made it my life's mission to meet and befriend all the Pokémon the world has to offer!"

"And I've made it my life's mission to record all of them for my vlog!" Gordie added.

"Is that so?" However, Carter scowled at them. "Then I suppose you two will forever be unsuccessful in your endeavors."

Ash blinked incredulously. "Pardon us?"

"Urshifu and Kubfu can sense the intentions of people, even from great distances. It's like a sixth sense. And they make sure they stay away from those they deem to be unworthy." Carter approached the two boys and looked down at them. "I have no doubt in my mind that your motives would be considered unworthy to them."

" _Excuse me_?!" Carter shot up on his feet, affronted. "What exactly is so wrong about recording Urshifu and Kubfu on my vlog?!"

"Or meeting and making friends with them?!" added Ash.

Carter simply closed his eyes and turned away. "So it seems that you two have gleaned absolutely _nothing_ from the tale. Galar Karate is all about distancing oneself from the material world and dedicating oneself to the spiritual world. Emotion has no part in the practice, and it absolutely shouldn't."

"Ah, wow," Gordie snarled, his eyelid twitching nastily. "No wonder you're such a KJ, then."

Carter slowly, calmly looked over his shoulder. "Oh? How so?"

"You don't see any sort of fun in the material world. Or, rather, you refuse to see it."

"You wouldn't either, young child, if you kept that phone of yours in your pocket for at least a single hour." Carter briefly glanced at Ash and Pikachu, who hadn't spoken at all but were scowling up at him. "If you walked down the path of the Galar Karateka, then I assure you, you would have a _lot_ to learn about the world that surrounds you."

Ash and Gordie opened their mouths to protest, but Carter flicked his head away and walked out of the hotel room. Bea watched him go with a flat, emotionless expression on her face. As for her Machop, it was looking between him and the boys, evidently torn over whose side to take. Once Carter had departed from the room, Korrina, who hadn't said a word and fallen silent throughout the entire conversation, abruptly stood up and stretched out her arms.

"Well, that just about concludes the legend of the Isle of Armor, you guys!" she exclaimed, her normally cheerful, upbeat voice sounding a little shaken. "So, whaddaya suppose we should do next, Ash?"

However, Ash wasn't listening to Korrina. Instead, he shot Bea a disapproving glance.

"I...I can't believe you didn't stand up for us on this, Bea," he said.

"What're you talking about?" Bea replied. She looked at the raven-haired boy and gave him a pronounced frown. "That is indeed the way of the Galar Karateka. The way of Galar Karate _itself_. Why do you think I've been so insistent on sleeping outside all the time?"

"I thought it was some environmentalist trend you were trying to follow-" began Gordie.

"And what about all of my training methods? You know, making myself a punching bag for my own Pokémon? Running till my muscles were literally shredded? Doing one-armed pushups with rocks on my back? Where do you think I learned all of that from?"

"Look, Bea," Ash replied, "I understand he's your mentor and all, but-"

"But _what_ , Ash?" Bea crossed her arms. "Master Carter taught me everything I needed to know about the world."

Ash blinked slowly, and his mouth went slightly agape. "And what about _us_ , Bea? What about me and Gordie? A-Are you saying _we_ didn't teach you anything you needed to know about the world?"

Bea hitched her breath. She felt so compelled to argue against Ash's point, but before she could even utter a decibel, the memories she had of the past couple of months flashed through her mind. How she, Ash, and Gordie worked together to help a Galarian Ponyta find its mother. How Gordie roped her and Ash into filming a special promotional video for one of his sponsors. How she and Pikachu got separated from the boys, leaving her to take care of Pikachu by herself. How the three of them jumped in to save a girl named Marnie from a group of hooligans harassing her.

How she first met Ash, in the depths of a cave in the Wild Area...

"Are you saying anything you learned and experienced _with_ us doesn't count at all...?" Ash asked, pulling Bea out of her thoughts.

"I-I didn't mean that," Bea replied in a stutter.

"Then why don't you ever speak up against Carter?" The boy's auburn eyes softened. "I know you, Bea. I know you don't _really_ believe him when he says there's nothing in the material world to enjoy. I know you don't, Bea. Not after all of the things that we've been through."

Bea opened her mouth, compelled to say something, but once again, she couldn't muster the willpower to defend her old mentor in Ash's face. She closed it, then opened it again, only to close it once again, unsure of what to say. Finally, with blurring vision, she turned away from Ash, Gordie, and Korrina.

"That's not fair, Ash," she said quietly.

"What's not fair?!" Ash exclaimed. "Choosing between your friends and your old teacher?!"

"Yes, _that_." Bea clenched her fists tightly, eliciting a concerned sound from Machop. "That's absolutely unfair. You..." Her fists started to tremble. "You may not _like_ Master Carter and his worldview, Ash, but...he still taught me things that I...I consider _very_ important to me. And for you to think...he's absolutely wrong about _everything_..."

She twirled around and faced Ash. What he and the others saw next stunned them: unbeknownst to her, she had started crying.

"I cannot abide that, Ash! Not at all!"

"Yo, Bea!" Gordie exclaimed with concern. "I-It's less about whether the dude's right about the world and more about his overall attitude-"

"Which you cannot even _begin_ to fully grasp, Gordie!" Bea snapped. "The Galar Karateka are supposed to be distant from all material things! And to do that, you must detach yourself from your baser emotions! D-Does it make a Galar Karateka sound like an inconsiderate jerk to many?! Yes! I'm not gonna argue against that! But if it's for the sake of becoming one step closer to establishing a Union, then it's a sacrifice that the Galar Karateka are willing to make! Y-You guys can't just dismiss that so easily!"

"What about you, Bea?" Ash asked. "Are you trying to establish a Union?"

Bea remained deathly silent for a moment, before replying, "And what if I say I am?"

"The things you must sacrifice in order to do that..." Gordie said. "I...I can't see you doing that. So I don't know why you are just _defending_ this guy like he's a-"

Bea stomped her foot angrily, startling Ash and Gordie. "W-What happens between me and Master Carter is none of your _business_ , you guys! If you're not gonna agree with him, fine! I've got no right to convince you otherwise! But DON'T you dare treat him like the _enemy_. He's done whatever he can to accommodate you during your stay here! And regardless of what he does or says, he's still an important person to me! A very, very...v- _very_ important part of my...m-my life..." Bea suddenly sniffled. "So please do me a favor and at least _fake_ your respect for him!"

Ash and Gordie tried to respond, but Bea turned on her heel and marched out of the hotel room. Machop squeaked after its Trainer, but it was unsuccessful in stopping her. The Superpower Pokémon shot Ash, Pikachu, and Gordie one last look of apology before running after Bea, calling after her all the while.

Ash also prepared to follow Bea when he felt someone grab his wrist, stopping him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that it was Korrina, who shook her head at him.

"Let her go, Ash," she said. "I think this conversation's gone on long enough."

"But-" Ash began.

"Trust me, Ash. Let her simmer for a while. Now, I may not have known Bea for a while, but..." The Shalour Gym Leader glanced at the doorway. "It sounds like you got a little too personal there."

Ash blinked and glanced at the doorway too. His auburn pupils shone with the utmost concern for his friend, the first one he made in Galar.

"Bea..."

* * *

"Stupid Ash. Stupid Gordie. Stupid, stupid Ash. He doesn't know anything. And why should he? He's just a stupid tourist. A stupid, reckless, brainless tourist!"

Bea slammed a clenched fist against the closed, mahogany door of her own hotel room. Machop stood beside her ankle, looking up at her with uncertainty. Further inside the room, her Machamp was doing push-ups, alternating between two pairs of arms, while her Machoke was sweating and panting with exhaustion from its multiple sit-ups. Beside Machoke, Carter's Throh was also doing sit-ups, but with much more ease compared to the Superpower Pokémon. Although Bea's outburst did absolutely nothing to dissuade them from their physical training, all three Fighting-type Pokémon also had their eyes trained on their Trainer, wondering what Ash did to exasperate her this time.

"He doesn't know a darn thing," Bea muttered furiously as she stomped over to her bed and sat down on it. "He says all he wants to do is get along with everyone, but he's dismissing Master Carter? All because, what, he's distant and brutally honest? If he thinks that's not normal behavior at all, then he should start learning Galar Karate, the-the _idiot_! He _really_ needs that lesson of self-preservation, anyway! The tourist just likes to dive headfirst into danger without thinking about the consequences! Master Carter would teach him a thing or two about saving one's own skin-"

"I appreciate the thought, Bea," a cold voice piped up.

Bea hitched her breath, shot up from her bed, and bowed her head. "M-Ma-Master Carter!" she squeaked.

Even though she wasn't staring into her old mentor's face, she could _hear_ the disappointed expression that he was giving her.

"It seems those friends of yours are even more of a negative influence on you than I thought," he said. "I've never heard that much words coming out of your mouth before. And with such an emotionally-charged tone." Carter strolled through the room, walking past his former student. "Now I know you told me you weren't interested in establishing a Union, but regardless of the goal that you wish to pursue and fulfill, strong emotions are one of the major obstacles to your success. The more attached you feel to a certain person, object, or concept, the more the world weighs you down and away from your purpose. You remember that, right?"

"Y-Yes, Master! I-I mean..." Bea cleared her throat and said more calmly, "Yes, Master. I remember."

"When I first heard from your father that you were traveling with friends, I had my concerns," continued Carter. "And...it seems my concerns were well-founded. There are very few people in the world who truly understand Galar Karate, and I simply couldn't comprehend the statistics that it would've taken for you to meet and travel with like-minded brethren."

Bea didn't say anything. Instead, she pursed her lips while Carter continued to speak. In total contrast, Machop watched Carter with a look of disapproval, as did Machoke; Machamp averted its gaze while continuing to commit itself to its four-armed exercises.

"Now that I've met your companions, I can see why you're so emotional now, Bea. You've allowed yourself to share your presence with those who are tethered to the physical world... A world that has become more and more preoccupied with its material possessions..." Carter pursed his lips. "A world I can't even begin to understand..."

**_"Are you saying anything you learned and experienced_ with _us doesn't count at all...?"_**

Ash's question echoed within Bea's mind, and with it, her heart felt like it was being tugged by a nagging feeling. But she knew what that feeling was. Emotions. Emotions that she felt whenever she was around Ash...

"I...I just thought that traveling with them would expose me to...to multiple viewpoints..." Bea replied, doing her best to keep her emotions in check. "I-I mean...i-isn't the point of distancing yourself from the concerns of the material world to render oneself neutral in the face of differing opinions?"

"I suppose so," said an indifferent Carter.

"Th-Then...h-how could I do that without...you know, testing myself in that regard?"

Carter blinked. "So you wished to test the strength and solidity of your resolve by allowing yourself to be in the presence of those who are opinionated and tethered to the material world, but refusing to be moved by their influence?"

"Co-Correct." Bea cleared her throat as she raised her head and stared at her mentor. "After all, you know what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object."

"The unstoppable force simply goes through the unfazed immovable object." Carter wrinkled his brow. "If that really was your strategy, Bea, then I'm afraid you're not succeeding at it, judging by your...emotional indiscretions."

"It's, uh... I-It's a work in progress, Master. You can't reach the ore within a rock without chipping the rock away first."

"I suppose so..."

With that, the man snapped his fingers, prompting Throh to stop doing its sit-ups and stand back up on his feet. For an infinitesimal moment, Machoke froze, hoping this meant its sit-up regiment would also come to a well-deserved end. But Bea didn't say anything as Throh walked over to his Trainer, prompting Machoke to moan with exasperation and resume its exercises.

"Bea," Carter continued, "I'm going out to acquire some food. I know your friends won't approve of my choices for them, so you may inform them that the Vecht Hotel has a continental breakfast if they're ever interested."

 _"Or I could tell them there's a Poké Mart a couple of blocks away,"_ Bea thought. However, she bowed her head again and replied, "Okay, Master."

Carter nodded curtly and left the hotel room. As soon as he was gone, Bea relaxed her posture and heaved out a heavy, emotional sigh.

_"Master Carter's made up his mind about Ash and Gordie. The moment he heard they're Trainers, he lost any respect he might've had for them..."_

**_"Yo, Bea! I-It's less about whether the dude's right about the world and more about his overall attitude-"_ **

Bea sighed once again and stood up from the bed. She wheeled around on her heel and observed Machamp and Machoke as they continued their exercises.

"Alright, you guys," she said. "That's enough exercises for today."

Using the two arms that were currently planted to the floor, Machamp shot itself back up to its feet and flexed all four of its arms to soothe the strain in its bulging muscles. As for Machoke, it heaved out a relieved sigh and sat up, hot beads of sweat dripping down its musculature like dewdrops after a rainy day. With a squeak, Machop promptly waddled over to Bea's bag and started rummaging through it.

But Bea disregarded her three Pokémon. Instead, she walked over to the balcony her room also had, the doors of which were currently open, allowing the bright sunlight and cool breezes of wind to flow inside. Stepping through the doorway and slightly leaning against the railing, Bea took in the view of Bellum Town, afforded to her by the balcony. She closed her eyes and absorbed the sounds of the citizens and tourists in the streets below, celebrating and going about their day without a care in the world...

While she was up in the topmost floor of the Vecht Hotel, all alone, torn between respecting her old mentor and sticking with her good friends until the very end...

It almost felt like she was at the top of a tall, towering mountain, all alone, suffering from the cold solitude of her current existence...

In that moment, a familiar pair of voices reached Bea's ears, and she thrust her eyes open with a soft gasp.

 _"Ash,"_ she thought. _"Korrina..."_

It was a conversation between Ash and Korrina that she was overhearing. Although she could not hear the exact details, she could tell from their tones that Korrina was comforting Ash and dissuading him from confronting Bea.

**_"Ahhh, you've always been such a humble young man. It's no wonder Korrina likes you!"_ **

Gurkinn's words from earlier filled Bea's heart with worry. From what Ash had told her about his experiences with Korrina in Kalos, it was clear the two of them were really good friends. But, of course, "friends" just didn't seem to encapsulate the sort of relationship _anyone_ would have with Ash. Especially a girl. Bea couldn't stop herself from wondering if Ash's selfless, compassionate nature had caused Korrina to develop something for the Pallet Town native.

Just like it did with...

**_"Now that I've met your companions, I can see why you're so emotional now, Bea. You've allowed yourself to share your presence with those who are tethered to the physical world... A world that has become more and more preoccupied with its material possessions..."_ **

"UGH!" Bea clutched her head. "I've _gotta_ stop thinking like that... I've gotta stop thinking like that, I've gotta stop that, I've gotta stop that, I've gotta stop, I've gotta stop, I've gotta stop, I've gotta stop..."

She continued rambling to herself, prompting Machamp, Machoke, and Machop to look at one another with concern. But, to their relief, their Trainer quickly calmed down and leaned against the railing again.

"What am I gonna do...?" she whispered to herself. "I'm too wrapped up in my feelings, and I have a duty to steel myself and stay dedicated to my goal...and yet...I..."

She fell silent, unsure of what to say next. A breeze blew across the balcony, causing her gray hair and black-and-orange blow to flutter. It was colder than the previous breezes that she felt, cooling down the temperature on her skin. But she didn't care. Instead, she closed her eyes, as if she was in wait...

* * *

**_"Master..."_ **

He felt his grip loosen.

**_"I fled the fight, Master..."_ **

Not that he cared.

**_"I left you by yourself, when you needed me the most..."_ **

All motivation left his body, and he allowed the forces of nature to dictate what happened next.

**_"I'm not worthy to be your student, Master. I'm not worthy of my title, my destiny..."_ **

Within seconds, he fell off his savior's plumage. He could feel the blasts of air rippling below him, hear the chaotic vortex of sound envelop him.

**_"I should just..."_ **

Through the cacophony of noises all around him, he could hear the sounds of humans below him. There seemed to be a festive mood in the air, a jarring mood compared to how he approached certain doom.

**_"I should just..."_ **

He didn't bother anymore. Instead, he closed his eyes and waited.

* * *

The Sun shone against Bea's eyes, causing her to see red through her closed eyelids. However, when that red turned into black, and it suddenly became cooler than usual, the tan-skinned girl quickly opened her eyes.

A split-second later, a blur of white and light-gray collided straight into her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes this chapter! I'll take anyone's guess as to what that blur was. XP XP XP
> 
> Anyway, we learn a little more about the legend behind the Isle of Armor (at least, the legend driving in my AU), and we also learn more about the Galar Karateka and their principles. Now, we do have a slight understanding behind why Carter is the way he is around Ash and Gordie. Is it excusable? Not really. But the group will find an opportunity to coexist more efficiently once the conflict starts rolling around.
> 
> Also, I was hoping this chapter would explore the Fighting Festival more, but it seems my subconscious had other plans. And this chapter could only get so long, so I decided to end it on this note rather than drag it on a little longer.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


End file.
